Home Is Always Where The Heart Is
by Mapperson722
Summary: Sequel to Fifty Shades of a Youko.. Kurama and Hiei have returned to the Demon World, where Hiei is reunited with his sister... How will Kurama deal with Hiei's family? Will they accept Hiei as he is, or will they abandon him because he will never change? Will the tensions tear our lovers apart, or make their bond even stronger? Yaoi.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in the Yu Yu Hakusho series. I wish I did, but I don't. This story is a sequel to the Fifty Shades of a Youko story that I wrote recently. I will be introducing several characters, mainly family members of Hiei. There will be several other pairings in this story, but the Hiei and Kurama pairings will stay in place.**_

))_))_

Shura sighed heavily from atop her perch in one of the tallest trees in the valley. Being a fire demon was great, but the winters were too long in her opinion. The great white blanket of snow that enveloped the valley around her glistened in the early morning sun. Being at the highest point in the area helped warm her skin, but it wasn't enough. Even though she was a fire demon, that didn't make her immune to the cold. Her long fur lined coat didn't seem to be of much help either as she snuggled in deeper. She had tried to convince her father to relocate to a warmer climate, but his fondness for the snow was greater than his love for the heat and he simply refused. She had thought about relocating by herself, but then she thought about how much she would miss her family. Her thoughts drifted to her cousins and she thought about how lucky they were. They lived in a desert climate, where everyday was sunshine and balmy weather. She groaned at the thought. She missed the sun, she missed the warm days of spring and summer. Hell, she would even take the cooling days of Autumn... but winter... she hated it.

Shura suddenly heard someone yelling up to her from the base of the tree. She looked down and seen her cousin Martina standing there with her hands cupped around her mouth, trying to amplify the sound of her voice. Shura smirked and wondered if she should go down, or ignore her. But then she did hear the threat of burning down the tree. Shura sighed heavily again and stood up from where she was perched. She jumped from tree branch to tree branch until she was only about six feet above her younger cousin.

"What do you want, Martina?" she asked as she leaned against the bark of the tree. She crossed her arms as her cousin looked up to her.

"Your father wants to see you," the younger girl said. She was only about three or four years younger than Shura but Shura's experience made the difference much greater than it really was.

"If he wanted to see me bad enough, he would have come himself," Shura said sarcastically. "Why did he send you?"

Martina reached into her outer jacket and pulled out a rolled up parchment. "He wanted me to give this to you. Said that it was something that he was sure you would be excited about."

Shura blinked. Her father was sending her a message via parchment? This must be big... he only did that when he knew that she wouldn't come home once she received the message. Shura was interested and jumped the remaining six feet to the ground. The velocity in which she landed sent snow flying in every different direction. Martina shook the snow from her coat as she looked at her cousin. She held out the parchment and Shura took it and opened it instantly. Shura read the words that were written and stopped about halfway through. She shook her head and restarted from the top, sure that she had read the words wrong. She finished reading the parchment and turned to Martina who was the nosiest of all her cousins. She folded the parchment in half and held it up to the younger woman.

"Is this real?" she asked, the tone of her voice a mixture of shock and awe.

Martina smiled lightly and shrugged her shoulders. "He said that it was, and that you might need some company when you go."

"You mean that my brother is alive?" Shura asked as she opened the parchment again and reread the paper, once again sure that her eyes were playing tricks on her.

"Niel said that it was one hundred percent true," she said softly. "He also said that he had gotten word from Koenma himself. Hiei is alive, and he is looking for his family."

Shura's smile grew brighter, almost melting the remaining snow from the ground at her feet. She took a few steps forward and looked at her cousin. "Let's go."

Martina smiled and held out her arm, on it was Shura's satchel. The satchel was given to her long ago by a mage demon that she had saved. It was a bottomless pit in the eyes of others. To Shura, it held everything that she could possibly need for long trips. Shura smiled as she took the satchel from Martina's arm and threw it over her shoulder. Within a few minutes the two women were ready to go, but to Shura's surprise, they were joined by her two step brothers as well. Markus and Miguel were twins, but polar opposites. She was grateful that they had joined them, but always feared that they would get hurt along the way. She always had to keep an eye on them because they were too mischievous. They seemed to love poison oak even though they were both allergic to it. She had almost lost them the last time because Markus had been stupid enough to use it as a napkin. She shook her head and the four of them headed out of the small town. They took to the higher grounds that were almost a direct shot to the Demon world where Hiei was residing. Within a week, Shura would finally get to lay eyes upon her little brother. She had searched high and low to find him. When his trail went cold about four or five years ago, she thought that he had died. But now, after all this time, she would finally meet him.

))_))_

Hiei woke up to the early morning sun, stretching lightly as he recognized his surroundings. They were home, in the demon world where they both belonged. However, Kurama's return home was anything but cheerful. His mother had died in a powerful earthquake that had killed over three hundred people in the human world. Kurama and Hiei had to fake their deaths as well and their fake bodies were found in the car that had fallen into a sinkhole. Hiei glanced around the room and didn't find Kurama anywhere. He could hear the radio on in the other room and figured that he had gotten up before him. So with a yawn, Hiei stood up and got dressed for the day. He walked out into the living room of the apartment that they had rented until they could find another place. He looked around and seen that Kurama was sitting on the deck that overlooked the forest. Hiei frowned as he felt the sorrow that was surrounding the once energetic fox. Hiei made his coffee and walked out into the bright sun. Kurama looked up at him and cast him a small smile.

"How did you sleep?" he asked the fire demon as he sat at the table across from him.

"Don't do that, Kurama," Hiei said as he sat his cup on the iron table. "Don't act like everything is okay. You are the one that I am worried about."

Kurama smirked and knew that his facade gave him away too easily. "You don't have to worry about me, Hiei. I knew that the end would come for Shiori. I had prepared for it for many years... but..."

"It still hurts," Hiei finished. "I know, Kurama. I miss her too. She was a wonderful woman, and I actually grew fond of her myself."

Before Kurama could say anything in response, Hiei stood up and took his cup out of his hands. He placed it on the table and then took his hands into his own. Hiei gently pulled Kurama to his feet and then sat in the chair himself. He pulled Kurama into his lap and wrapped his arms around his mate. He knew the gesture was futile in an attempt to comfort the fox, but he had to try. He had been trying for three days, but he almost seemed to make it worse.

"No..." Kurama said. "You aren't making things worse."

Hiei smirked. Once they had mated, Kurama had gained his ability to read minds and for once, Hiei was glad. There were times that Hiei didn't know how to put things into words, and having Kurama there to read his mind made things easier. But Hiei sighed lightly as Kurama leaned his head on his shoulder. Kurama slowly pulled his knees up until he was curled into a ball in his lap. Hiei didn't mind, in fact, it made him smile. That the fox would trust him enough to place his entire body on him. Kurama buried his face into Hiei's shoulder and sighed heavily.

"I love you, Hiei," Kurama said softly as he seemed to fall into a light sleep.

Hiei smiled brightly at the fox's statement. It had been four months since they had mated and the simple three words made him beam every time he heard them. Hiei brushed the hair from Kurama's face and leaned in to kiss his cheek. "I love you too, fox."

They sat there like that for hours. Each day began like this, Hiei holding onto his love while he sulked. He knew what it was like to lose a loved one. He knew how hard it was when that pain seemed to tear you into a thousand pieces. But he also knew that the pain wouldn't last.

Kurama woke an hour later and stood up. He knew that Hiei had to be numb but Hiei refused to show it in any way. He sat in the chair next to him and sighed lightly. The sun was high in the sky by then and Kurama knew that there were things that needed to be done.

"Kurama, please, let me tell you something," Hiei said as Kurama started to think about all the things that needed to be done. "That stuff doesn't matter right now. You are the only thing that does matter to me right now. We can stay here until we find a place, but that doesn't mean that we have to find that place today. I need you to do something for me."

Kurama looked at him. "What?"

"I need you to heal for now," Hiei said and took Kurama's hand into his own. "I promise you that things will work out in the end. But we need to focus on you and me right now. Not my family, not our future, just us. The right here and now is what I need you to focus on."

"Easier said than done, my love," Kurama said softly. "Every where I turn... I see things that need to be tended to, Hiei, I can't help it. That is just me. You know how I am."

"I do know how you are, Kurama," Hiei said and squeezed his hand. "And that is what is worrying me. You are trying to tend to everything and everyone else, but you. You need time to grieve. That is a part of loosing someone, fox. I still miss my mother, even though I never knew her. That pain is still there, but it drives me everyday to find a new way to cope with that loss. I cannot promise you that the pain will be gone overnight, or even in a week or a month, but there will be a time that you will be able to wake up and know that she died, thinking about how much she loved you."

Kurama blinked at Hiei's words. He had never known his mate could be so insightful. He barely knew his mother, but the fact that he still missed her showed that he did care that she was gone. He still grieved the fact that he didn't know who she was before she died. Hiei had always been a strong man, but never could Kurama imagine that he still grieved. He could see why though. He still felt numb. Like the pain was eating him from the inside out, but he knew that Hiei was right. She did die, but he knew that he was one of the last thoughts that crossed her mind. He had to have been. But there was no way to know that for sure, he just had to believe that Hiei was right.

"Have you been reading those reverse psychology books again?" Kurama asked sarcastically as he returned to the situation at hand.

Hiei smirked at the fox's attempt at humor. "No, just speaking from experience."

"I was being sarcastic, Hiei," Kurama said bluntly and frowned as he seen that shit eating grin cross Hiei's face.

"So was I," Hiei said.

Kurama frowned. "You HAVE been reading them!"

Hiei chuckled lightly and shrugged his shoulders. "What? I thought they would come in handy one day."

Kurama smirked and shook his head. He couldn't be sure if Hiei was telling him the truth, but at the moment he really didn't care. That was the first time in the last few days that he had been able to think about something else for two seconds that didn't involve the incident in the human world. He smiled lightly at the thought that maybe Hiei really was right, that a time would come when he could wake up and not instantly think about the loss that he had suffered but look back on the love that he had been given.

The rest of the day seemed to fly by for the two lovers. Hiei had convinced Kurama to read a book and get some rest, much to his voiced disappointments. Kurama had settled into the couch in the living room with a large leather bound book. He was reading the book just fine, until he seen Hiei start to cook dinner. Over the past few months, he had learned that Hiei was in fact a REALLY good cook. He would prefer Hiei's cooking to his mother's and that was no understatement. The thought of the way she could easily burn a cake made him chuckle lightly. Hiei had given her his secret to baking the perfect cake, but to this day, Kurama still didn't know it. But that was fine, Hiei and his mother had bonded in the kitchen and that was all that had mattered to him. The thought of her laughing with him while he cooked around her made him smile.

Hiei looked up from peeling potatoes and seen that Kurama was smiling while staring off into space. Perhaps the fox was finally taking his advise on thinking about the good instead of the bad. He could occasionally hear a soft chuckle come from the fox and that alone was enough to make him smile. At that moment, Kurama had focused on the real world and looked up at Hiei in the kitchen. He had a smile on his face and knew that he had been busted while staring into la la land. Kurama shook his head lightly and retraced his place on the page in his book. Hiei continued cooking until he had nothing else to do but put it into the oven and walk away for forty five minutes.

"What were you smiling about in there, Hiei?" Kurama asked not looking up from his book as Hiei sat down on the foot of the couch.

Hiei smirked. "You were remembering good times, chuckling about something. I can't help that it makes me smile."

Kurama looked up and smiled lightly. "I was remembering the good times. And you were right, once again. It does seem to help."

"Every now and again I do know what I am talking about," Hiei said and picked up Kurama's feet. He laid them on his lap and leaned his head back against the soft couch. "Koenma sent word to my father about our return to the demon world."

Kurama blinked. "He did? He said that part was up to you."

Hiei shrugged his shoulders and glanced at his partner. "What can I say, I needed a little help when it came to that situation."

Kurama frowned. "You could have asked me, ya know."

Hiei looked at him and instantly Kurama wished he could take the statement back. "I didn't want to bother you with any more than you could take. But he did say that I had to know that as soon as they knew of our return, they would most likely show up here. Soon, according to Koenma."

Kurama smiled about that. He was eager to meet Hiei's family. To know the other half of him that Hiei didn't even know was there. He thought back to the night when they were reading the files on his family. Hiei's sister came to mind.

"Do you think that Shura found out about what happened to you when you were a teenager? If so, do you think that is why she killed those men?" Kurama asked. Talking about other things was difficult, but this subject was really interesting and the curious fox couldn't help himself.

Hiei smirked. "The names of the deceased were two of the men that HAD hurt me when I was young. Perhaps she did. Like I said, I couldn't get revenge for what they did to me, but my sister seemed to get the job done. Quite well too, if you ask me."

Kurama laughed. He too agreed with Hiei's statement. Hiei looked over at him and smiled. "I miss your laugh, fox."

Kurama smiled lightly and looked back to the book in his lap, it was suddenly the most boring thing in the world. He sighed lightly and closed it, not even marking his page. He reached over and sat it on the table next to them and looked back down the couch to Hiei. "Meeting your family must bring back a lot of memories."

Hiei shook his head. "Not really. I have always wanted to know them... just never got the chance. But I will get that chance, and I am glad that you will be with me when it happens."

"But there is something else, something that I have to ask you to do for me," Kurama said. He knew that he wasn't going to get far but he had to try. "I want to move out of this apartment. It reminds me too much of the apartment in the human world."

Hiei frowned and had a feeling that this conversation was going to resurface one day or another. But that last part was new. He sighed lightly. He leaned forward a tiny bit and reached behind him. He pulled out a magazine from his back pocket and handed it to Kurama. Kurama frowned but then smiled as he opened it. It was a house hunter's magazine. He seen that several pages had been folded at the corner and looked at his partner.

"I glanced through it yesterday," Hiei explained. "It was just a thought, but I figured a house would suit us better."

Kurama smiled. "My thoughts exactly."

He quickly opened to the first page that Hiei had marked. It was a two bedroom one and a half bath and a sizable back yard. He considered the thought and shook his head. Hiei smirked for he had one marked that he really liked. He also had a feeling that Kurama would pick that one, but he wasn't going to tell him which one. Kurama glanced through the pages and shook his head to several of them, but stopped and stared at one in particular. It was a four bedroom three bathroom colonial style house. It had Victorian accents and pillars that surrounded the house. It had pictures of the backyard and Kurama swooned. A thirteen foot pool surrounded by a rose wall. He looked around the pictures and seen that there was a sauna, a sun room, spacious kitchen and living area, and most of all, a deluxe master bedroom. Hiei smiled lightly, he knew which one Kurama was looking at, for he was studying EVERY detail that was listed. He looked at the location and again swooned. It was outside of the Makai. He loved it and turned the magazine to Hiei. But Hiei was already smiling at him.

"What?" Kurama asked. "You already had your pick of them... what are you smiling about?"

Hiei again reached into his back pocket, pulling out his cellphone. He flipped it open and then touched the screen several times. He then handed the phone to Kurama. Kurama smiled as it was actual inside pictures of the very house that he was looking at in the magazine. There was over thirty pictures. Hiei had been very thorough. That only meant one thing.

"We have to call the realtor," Kurama said. "It's beautiful!"

"There is one more picture, Kurama," Hiei said and took the phone. He changed the screen and then handed the phone back to Kurama.

It was his homescreen... but the background picture was Hiei standing next to the for sale sign. In his hand was the for sale sign and right above it, there was a sold sign that rested where the for sale sign had been. Kurama's eyes widened. "But... How..."

"Koenma owed me a favor," Hiei said simply. "He had no choice but to demolish the home that I had bought when I was younger... soooo..."

When Kurama looked up at him again, Hiei was holding up a set of keys. Kurama felt tears build in his eyes. He quickly tossed the magazine to the side and sat up, lunging into Hiei's arms. He was kissing him on the face and thanking him, kissing him again in between cheerful laughs. Hiei smiled as he took the assault of kisses. He wrapped his arms around Kurama's shoulders when he buried his face into Hiei's chest. With a gleam in his heart, Hiei kissed the top of Kurama's head and hugged him tight.

"When can we move in?" Kurama's voice was muffled but Hiei knew what he wanted to know.

"Whenever you want," Hiei said and watched as Kurama looked at him. "The house is ours. Completely paid off, ready to move in, and slightly furnished."

Kurama beamed and vowed that he was going to go pack. Hiei smiled at the thought. He never imagined that telling Kurama about the house would put him in such a good mood. He had been nervous about the thought. He watched as he could see Kurama moving around in the bedroom as he packed some of the items that they were able to recover from the devastating earthquake. Home. He was finally home, with his mate, with his family coming to meet him soon.

But Hiei had no clue that his sister and his cousin and his two step brothers were barreling towards him at that very moment. He had expected to hear from them in a week or two... but never did he think that they would meet withing a few days.

))_))_

The End of Chapter One. I hope that you are all enjoying so far. I can't stand it when my favorite characters are sad so I had to end that quickly. But this is going to be a very long story... I don't know just how long, but I promise... it will be heartwarming and a few other things. I don't want to give anything away soo I am going to shut up now. Leave me a Private Message if you have a request. Please give me your comments, reviews and requests. I look forward to hearing from all of you. Until next time.


	2. Chapter 2: Reunion

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from the Yu Yu Hakusho series. I wish I did, but I don't. I do own the characters that are Hiei's relatives. I don't know the name of Hiei's dad in the actual series so, I had to get a little creative. Thanks for reading and for the support from my friends. So, here is the next chapter to Home Is Always Where The Heart Is.**_

))_))_

Shura slowed her pace until she was able to slide to a stop. The three others following behind her caught up to her and fell to the ground instantly. Shura placed her hands on her knees and huffed as her breathing was just as bad as her companions. The four of them sat there for a while catching their breath as the night skies revealed the bright moon. The temperatures were dropping quickly and Shura knew that the four of them had no choice but to stop in the village that glowed beneath them. At least she wasn't wanted there. She smirked and stood up straight. She was still panting hard as she watched Martina stand up beside her.

"I... know that you want to get to your brother... right now... but goodness..." Martina panted.

"What is the matter, Martina?" she said still trying to steady her breathing. "Bite off more than you could chew this time, huh?"

Martina huffed at her cousin and flipped her the bird. Shura laughed out loud at the childish gesture. She turned and looked at her stepbrothers. "You two gonna live?"

Markus shook his head and looked up at her, still gasping for air. "You are insane, Shura! Three hours without a single break?! Are you TRYING to kill us?"

"Maybe," Shura said as she looked back to the village. "Well, come on. The village is right there, we can make it there in a few minutes if we try."

Her three companions groaned audibly and she turned to them. "Hey... if the three of you want to freeze out here, then be my guest. I am going to the village."

Martina pulled both of the grumbling boys to their feet and the four headed down the cliff to find shelter in the village. Martina had mentioned a few hours back that the road at night was too cold and too dangerous for four fire demons to travel at night. Shura didn't want to stop, although she knew that her cousin was right. They had pulled out the map and found a place to stop for the evening to rest. Shura was wanting to get to her brother. She didn't want to stop until he was in her arms where she had intended to keep him for the rest of his life.

Once in the village, the four of them had asked around and were directed to a cozy little inn that was in the center of the village. The board was cheap and Shura placed several golden coins into the innkeeper's hand and asked for two rooms and a hot meal. They were led to two conjoined rooms, much to Martina's dismay, and they all settled down while waiting for their meals to arrive. Martina watched as Shura paced the small room.

"You need to rest, Shura, and pacing is not rest!" Martina said as she watched Shura growl at her from the middle of the room.

"Maybe you shouldn't have come," Shura suggested to her cousin and knew that Martina would have followed her anyways.

"And miss out on the long awaited reunion between brother and sister? Not a chance in hell!" Martina said and crossed her legs on the twin size bed. "By the way... what are you going to say... and how are you going to know when you find him? Koenma didn't exactly draw you a map."

Shura smirked and turned to her cousin. She walked the few feet until she was able to sit across from her on the adjoining bed. "Papa always told me that I would know my little brother when I saw him. He had used his divine powers to get information about him when he was born. He said to me that Hiei looked just like me. He also told me that his eyes were like sparkling rubies, and that his white star-burst was just that... it doesn't go through the hair like mine does. It is just a puff of white against the contrasting jet black of his hair."

Martina smiled at the fondness of her cousin's voice. She seemed to adore the man she never met like she had known him forever. However, the whole community of fire demons had known of her exploits to find Hiei. She had killed for her little brother, she had hunted him down with no thoughts other than finding him, and she had been devastated when his trail suddenly went cold. Martina frowned as she looked back on the day that Shura was lost. She had been looking in the last place that Hiei had been seen and found a few dead people in his wake. She had figured that he just escaped and took off to another area, but his energy was just gone. There wasn't a trail like there had always been before.

"Stop doing that!" Shura growled from the bed across from her.

Martina blinked and looked at her. "What?"

"Stop thinking about the past! You know I hate it when you do that!" Shura stood up at the sound of a knock on the door. She opened it and accepted the tray that held two plates of food. However, there was a third bowl there and Shura frowned as the smell drifted up to her nose. She thanked the server and he turned to take the boys their food next door.

She handed the tray to Martina and lifted a single plate from the silver platter. Martina smelled the food and felt the water build in her mouth. She knew what was in the bowl and knew instantly that it was all hers. "Yum! Clam chowder."

"You know what they put into that crap, right?" Shura asked sarcastically as she took a bite of the mutton on her plate.

"Yeah, yeah," Martina said and rolled her eyes. "Just because you don't like seafood doesn't mean the rest of us can't enjoy it every now and then."

Shura chuckled lightly and they continued their meal in silence. The night grew colder and with a flick of her wrist, Shura made the burning embers of the fire return to life. The little fire would not do them any good if it wasn't maintained throughout the night. Shura put a little bit of her energy into it and it continued to blaze until morning. The next morning, the four travelers regrouped and before setting out, they had mapped out the remainder of their journey. They would take it easier than the two days before. They would stop frequently to the request of the other three, and they had expected that their journey would end in about three days time. An impressive feat considering the journey was normally about ten to eleven days long. But then again, fire demons were known as some of the fastest demons alive, and the eleven day trek didn't take but five to them. Shura grew anxious as they approached their destination. She had waited so long and soon, very soon she would finally meet her brother.

))_))_

Two days later, Kurama smiled as he opened his eyes and surveyed his surroundings. They were home, in their new house, in their new bed. Hiei was still sleeping peacefully beside him and Kurama considered staying there. But he knew that there were a few fire demons that were heading this way, and he knew that he wanted to prepare for them. Hiei wasn't aware of his plans and Kurama frowned at the thought. The fox wanted to invite his family to stay with them for a while. They had the room, I mean come on, they had a four bedroom house. The thought of a few more fire demons made Kurama smile. He wanted Hiei to get to know his family, and he knew that Hiei really wanted that too. There was something about the little fire demon that was always missing and that was quite simply his family. The fox knew that he missed them, even though he didn't even know them, and he could also feel the rush of excitement that was coursing through Hiei's veins.

Suddenly, the fire demon tightened his grip on Kurama's stomach. Kurama looked down and seen ruby red eyes staring up at him. He smiled down at his mate and kissed his forehead. "Good morning."

Hiei smiled lightly and stretched out like a cat. "..Mornin'," Hiei snuggled into the fox and moaned lightly at the intruding rays of light streaming into the room through the large bay windows. "What are you up to, Kurama?"

Kurama smiled and shook his head. "Just wanting to get ready for your upcoming visitors."

Hiei opened his eyes again and looked up at the fox. "You want them to stay here, don't you."

"Of course I do," Kurama said softly and hugged Hiei's shoulders. "They might as well. I would hate to see them have to take up room and board at an inn or something. We have plenty of room here."

"We don't even know how many of them are coming," Hiei warned. "Perhaps the Inn would be better."

Kurama frowned. "Absolutely not. Not a chance in hell. Out of the question."

Hiei knew that if he fought him any longer, the fox was going to do something drastic to get his way. He would hate to see the village damaged because the fox wanted something so bad. He wasn't a fool, he knew when to stop. Hiei nodded and the two of them got out of bed. They dressed warmly, for the day was colder than the past few. It was almost the end of winter, and she wasn't about to leave without a fuss. Winter had one more storm brewing over the mountains, and would more than likely reach them in the next couple of days or so. Kurama didn't mind though, however his mate surely did. Hiei didn't care too much for winter. Blame it on the fire coursing through him, but Kurama knew that wasn't the only reason. Hiei was an outdoors kind of guy. He loved to jog in the morning, he loved to do anything if it meant he would be outside all day. But with winter dampening his spirits, he was hoping that Hiei didn't go stir crazy before spring arrived.

"How is it that you are half ice demon and not like winter?" Kurama asked him once again as they walked out into the living room.

"I've told you, Kurama... I don't know," Hiei said as the two of them went about making breakfast for themselves. "I just don't like it. It's... depressing to me for some reason."

Kurama dropped the subject and went about the kitchen. The two of them worked well together in the kitchen for some reason. They never bumped into one another, unless it was on purpose, and they never once got in each other's way. Their conversation was light over breakfast, they planned a late afternoon hunt before the next frost sat in and they both were looking forward to a little exercise. Hiei hadn't stretched his muscles like that in a few months, and neither had Kurama. They decided that they would start out on separated and then meet up sometime later in the hunt. They both knew that their hunting techniques were polar opposites, and neither believed that they would bag anything together.

Later that afternoon, Kurama watched as Hiei strapped his katana to his belts. The thought made him smile, almost all fire demons that walked the earth were swordsmen. Hiei had demonstrated his skill a while back when they had gotten into a beef with a couple of demons that were looking for something to steal. The demons walked away barely holding their dignities together. Kurama smiled lightly as he and Hiei walked through the side doors that led to the forest behind their house. Hiei reached up and grabbed Kurama's hair and pulled him down for a kiss. "Be careful out there. Call me if you need any help."

"I can take care of myself, Hiei," Kurama said hearing what Hiei was implying. "I have been hunting since before you were born."

"Hn," was Hiei's only remark as the two of them darted off into the forest.

Once deeper into the forest, Kurama looked around for a perfect advantage spot. He was laying sentry seeds as he went, they would tell him if anything was coming his way. He found his spot but continued about a mile away from it. He wanted to make sure that he knew if anything was coming towards him, and that included Hiei. He circled back and climbed up into the tree that would hide him well enough and sat there in wait. He knew that his technique was old fashioned but old fashioned sometimes worked better than tracking your game and killing it after a brief chase. He knew that was Hiei's thing, but then again, Hiei was energetic enough, let him do it his way. At least Kurama would get a clean kill.

However, something else happened that he wasn't expecting. There were traces of energies near his sentries that he didn't recognize. He frowned. And he waited. If they were evil, he would stop them. If they were good, the sentries wouldn't even bother to warn him about impeding doom. However dramatic it sounded, Kurama was always the cautious one.

))_))_

Shura suddenly skidded to a stop. She held out a hand to stop the others as she looked around the dense forest. She frowned as she sniffed the air. Martina walked up behind her and looked around. "What is it?"

Shura shook her head and frowned again. "I don't know... I just know that I don't like the way this forest smells."

"Your nose is going berserk you know, Shura," Miguel said from behind the others. "All forests smell like this."

"Shut up, Miguel," Markus snapped. "Shura's nose has never led her astray."

"Shh!" Shura said to them both and pulled out her weapon. It was two short handled katanas, both perfect for an ambush attack. She was good at hand to hand combat, but her senses were telling her that something darker was inhabiting this forest. "Be on guard here. Let's go."

She took of in a slower run, the trees not so much a blur as they had been the last few days. She didn't want to get any of the company she kept hurt in any way. She knew that her step brothers were unskilled when it came to combat, and Martina was a healer, not a fighter. That left the ball in her court to protect them. As usual, she thought. But she didn't mind, protecting her loved ones was kind of hardwired in her DNA. As they went deeper into the forest, a movement in the trees ahead of them caught her eyes. She growled lightly and motioned for the others to scatter. They did, taking to the trees and their energies disappearing without a trace. She took to the trees and soon came to find a fox spirit spying on them. She frowned. That is what she had smelled before! It was a FOX! She was suddenly tackled to the ground, and the two demons fell to the cold hard ground with a thud. One of Shura's katanas was forced from her hands and she was left with only one. She regained her thoughts and used that free hand to strike.

Her move had worked, for the fox sat back for a moment, and Shura lunged. She was soon squatting over him with a katana held to his throat. "Who are you!"

Kurama's eyes widened at the speed in which she moved and held out his hands is surrender. He then stopped and looked at the demon that he had tackled. Oh shit... but before he could say anything, a long slender blade was pressed softly into the woman's throat and she frowned.

"Get your filthy mits off my mate," Hiei growled his warning. "Or it will be the last thing you do."

Shura smirked lightly and let go of the front of Kurama's shirt. "Bad move, lover boy."

Within a second, Shura had knocked the blade away from her neck and stood up and spun towards Hiei, her blade in her hand ready to strike at a moment's notice. Hiei suddenly stopped and looked at the woman, she looked familiar. Shura suddenly seen the resemblance as well and lowered her weapon. She looked at Hiei up and down and her scowl suddenly changed into a light smile. Hiei lowered his weapon and studied the woman. "Shura?"

Shura smiled brighter. "Hello, Hiei." She dropped her weapon to the ground and placed her hands on her hips. "At long last, we finally meet."

Kurama studied the woman from the ground. Holy shit, she really was an exact replica of Hiei. There was only one difference. Her white star burst over her forehead traveled all the way to the end of her hair, where Hiei's only stopped halfway to the top. Plus there was the whole difference with the gender thing. He stood up and walked to stand beside Hiei.

"And who might you be?" Shura asked, her voice dripping with venom.

Kurama smirked, yep that was Hiei's sister. "Reveal the other three companions of yours, and I will tell you."

"There are no others," Shura said and frowned as she crossed her arms.

"I highly doubt that," Kurama said and snapped his fingers.

The bushes to the right rustled and Martina was suddenly shoved out. She turned and looked at the bush and growled a few words to it in the native language of the fire demons. Her voice hissed at the bush, and the bush seemed to retaliate by swinging a vine her way. She got to her feet and backed away. She came to stand beside Shura still muttering under her breath that the bush was cursed. But then suddenly, the two boys fell from the trees behind Kurama and Hiei. They landed with a thud, but stood up and looked at each other. They began to bicker about which one of them was responsible for being caught.

However, the bickering took a different turn. Hiei heard the ruckus and turned to see both of the boys had reverted to punching and kicking. Their scuffle landed them both on the cold ground and the two of them were struggling to gain control of the other. Hiei and Kurama's eyebrows raised at the sight, clearly surprised that they were fighting with EACH OTHER. They heard Shura groan lightly behind them and turned to see her pinching the bridge of her nose. Martina beside her was on her knees laughing and pointing at the scene that was playing out before them. Shura shook her head and unfolded her arms. She took several steps forward and looked up into the sky. "Give me the strength to refrain from killing them." she said to the sky as she approached the two men still rolling around with each other. Hiei crossed his arms and smirked. He had to admit, the scene was quite humorous.

Shura stopped a few feet from them and crossed her arms as she watched the two kick and punch at each other. Amateurs, she thought and stomped her foot. The simple action caused the snow to fly and the ground to shake. Hiei stopped and looked, both boys had stopped fighting and were staring up at her from the ground. They were covered with snow and each held the same look of terror on their face. Hiei strained to hear her talking to them. All he could hear her say was that they were grown men and that they were acting like two children fighting over a toy. He smirked. It was true, but then again, it was still funny as hell to watch. He glanced at Kurama and seen the smirk on his face as well. Obviously, his sister didn't have a sense of humor.

Shura turned back to the other three of them as her brothers pulled themselves up out of the newly created snowbank. They brushed themselves off and slowly followed after her. One of the brothers shoved the other into the snow and chuckled as his brother landed face first in the snow. Shura sighed heavily and stopped walking, the other brother didn't see this until it was too late. Shura reached up and hit him in the back of the head with such force, that he too ended up face down in the snow. She continued walking and as she approached, the other three that were watching the scene could hear her muttering that they were idiots.

"They are a rare kind of stupid," Martina said suddenly as Shura came to stand beside her. "Hope they're not contagious."

Shura smiled at the thought and shrugged her shoulders. "If they were, we would have caught it by now."

Martina giggled at the thought and the two boys finally joined them. Shura cleared her throat and turned back to her brother and his companion. "I hope that you don't take this personally... they are like this all the time."

Kurama smirked and thought that they couldn't be related to Hiei by blood. Shura looked at him and smiled lightly. "You are correct, they are not connected by blood, but by marriage."

Kurama frowned. "You can read minds?"

Shura smiled. "It is a trait most common to our kind, but you must know this, considering who you are MATED to."

Hiei looked at the four fire demons in front of him. There were three faces that he didn't know. There was only info on the fact that he had other relatives, but their records were clean, therefore, no files.

Shura suddenly turned to glance over her shoulder. There was movement in the forest behind them and she felt it as soon as Kurama did. She held a hand up to the younger three of her companions, for they were ready to pounce, but her signal to stop came before they could. Suddenly, a doe and two fawns came into sight. Shura smiled at the sight, it was rare to see a mother with two babies in the woods. Kurama groaned and knew that there was no way to attack her. She was a mother, and does were always off limits anyways. But then a twig snapped behind Kurama. He turned slightly and he smiled. Hiei drew his sword again and the two separated. Shura and the others remained motionless and watched as the buck approached. They were standing next to a spring, the doe and her fawns wanted to drink, but the fire demons were too close. They were suddenly surrounded by the deer. One female, two babies and a buck. That was a sight to be held. Shura slowly used her energy to mask their scent. She enveloped them in a cloud at was invisible to the naked eye. The deer waited for a moment, unsure of what just happened, there were people, then there wasn't. But after a few moments the family of deer walked up to the spring and settled in to drink. Shura looked up just as she seen Hiei jump from the branches above. Kurama had done the same thing, and both had landed around the deer, Kurama's weapon around it's neck, and Hiei's sword through its heart. The other three deer took off at the ambush and all that was heard was the sound of hooves thundering away into the distance.

"Impressive," Shura said as the two of them released the buck, it dropping to the ground with a loud thud. "Thirteen points. Not bad at all."

Hiei turned and looked at her. "What?"

Kurama smiled. "She is referring to the points on his antlers. There are thirteen of them."

"It also means that he is older, and the meat won't be as tough as a younger deer would," Martina put in as she looked over the deer. "My guess is... hmm... bout twelve years old."

"Close enough," Shura said as she crossed her arms and leaned back against a tree. "Now here is the hard part..."

Kurama frowned at her and looked at Hiei. Hiei shrugged his shoulders and looked at his sister. "What?"

"That buck probably weighs about two hundred and fifty pounds," she said and snickered lightly. "Tell me, geniuses, how do ya plan to get it home?"

Kurama groaned, how had he not thought about that. Hiei looked down with a heavy sigh. "I take it there is no chance of you helping out, is there?"

"You carry what you kill," the four fire demons said in unison. Shura chuckled lightly. "It is the way of the hunter, if you kill it, then you are the one to bring it back. Has been for centuries."

Hiei looked down at the oversized buck. They really hadn't thought about the size, neither of them normally went for game this big. He looked up at Kurama and shook his head. "Any suggestions?"

Kurama chuckled lightly and shook his head. "At a loss for words here."

Shura rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. "Amateurs. Didn't you bring any rope or anything to bring back the prey that you were obviously coming out here to kill?"

Kurama winced, they hadn't been in the demon world for so long, they truly were unprepared. Shura sighed heavily and reached into her bag that hung over her shoulder. She pulled out a large coil of rope. She then tossed it to the two men and leaned back against the tree. Martina snickered and Miguel and Markus sat on the ground, curious to see how they were going to do this. Kurama looked at his partner and smirked. They were both stronger than they looked. They used the rope and tethered it around the buck's upper body and his antlers. They then stood up and started to pull, to everyone's surprise, it started moving almost instantly. Shura was impressed more than the others, for not even she had expected them to work together so well.

"Guess your reunion is gonna have to wait, cuz," Martina said as they all began to follow the couple back through the forest. Shura smiled. That was fine to her, she had found her little brother, and that was all that mattered to her. She could care less how long it took to actually sit down and talk to him. Just knowing that he was alive, seeing the man that he had become, that was enough for her. She knew that if she died at that very moment, she would be at peace to know that her brother was safe.

))_))_

And the end to chapter two. Didn't go the way yall were thinking, huh. Well HA. Hope you are enjoying this so far. I am looking forward to the upcoming chapters. Shura and Hiei finally sit down and... well just read and find out for yourself. Please comment, review and request, I look forward to hearing all that you have to say.


	3. Chapter 3: True Reunions

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from the Yu Yu Hakusho series. I wish I did, but I don't. I do own the characters that portray Hiei's family. I don't know the true name of his father so I had to get a little creative. So far, there has been a few hiccups along the way, but here is the chapter that will explain alot more about Hiei and Shura and why Shura wanted to find him so badly. So without further delay... I give you... Chapter three.**_

))_))_

Hiei and Kurama managed to get the giant buck home without too much hassling with it. Hiei was melting the snow and turning it to ice to help the progression and Kurama had to thank him for that. His muscles were strained by the time that they had gotten home and he knew for a fact that Hiei's were as well. Shura had offered to help them relieve the tension in their muscles with a potion that she used quite often but they both refused, saying to her that they had their own methods for relieving their tensions.

"Too much info," Miguel said as he considered what they might mean.

Kurama rolled his eyes at the young man. "It's called a sauna."

Miguel stopped and looked at the other three. "What is a sauna?"

Shura sighed heavily and shook her head after settling down on the couch once they all got inside. "In our words it is a steam room, dingbat!"

Miguel thought about the word for a minute then shook his head, obviously not able to keep his train of thought. He watched Kurama and Hiei walk into the kitchen and talk among themselves for a moment. He smiled lightly and looked at Shura who was glaring at him. She held out a finger towards him, warning him not to intrude in any way. She knew that he was able to hear people's conversations from short distances and she didn't want him to ruin anything. Miguel frowned and crossed his arms.

"Killjoy," he muttered lightly and she smirked. He stuck his tongue out at her the moment she turned her head.

"Stick it out again, I dare you," she said darkly as she glanced back at him, looking innocent and pretending not to know what she was talking about. "Quit acting like a child, Miguel, or I will send you back home to your mother. With a letter explaining why I sent you home!"

Miguel apologized as Kurama came back into the living room, obviously hearing the exchange between the two, for he was sporting a smirk on his face. "The four of you look tired. I can show you to your rooms, so that you guys can get cleaned up before dinner."

Shura blinked up at him. "That won't be necessary..."

"I insist," Kurama interrupted, obviously hearing her thoughts about the spacious Inn that rested in the Makai. "So does Hiei."

Shura sighed lightly, knowing that she couldn't resist. She was about to object when she looked up and seen Hiei standing in the hall with his arms crossed. He read Kurama's mind about her objections. She shook her head and smiled lightly. "Very well."

Kurama and Hiei led the four demons down the hall, Miguel and Markus sharing one room, and Shura and Martina sharing another. They thanked them and walked into the rooms. The situation was a bit awkward. Shura didn't know what else to say but thanks. Martina looked around the spacious room and silently thanked her cousin, this was infinitely better than a hotel again. Shura heard the thought and smiled lightly, she too had to agree. The two took turns cleaning up then leaned against the soft pillows to rest their eyes for a bit before their next encounter with the mated demons. The thought actually unnerved Shura... this feeling was new to her. She had waited so long to meet her little brother and now that she had... she couldn't think about what she was going to say or do next.

))_))_

Later that night, after a very entertaining dinner, Hiei knocked lightly on the bedroom door. Shura turned away from the window and smiled lightly. "It is your house, Hiei. You don't have to knock."

"It's called common courtesy," he stated as he watched her pull her fur lined shawl closer around her. "That was... quite interesting..."

Shura smiled. "Yeah... Miguel and Markus are born story tellers. That is a normal dinner in the eyes of every fire demon in the village."

"More like tall tellers," Hiei said, knowing that there was no way in hell half of their stories were true.

Shura chuckled lightly and nodded. "True. But then again, in a village where practically nothing happens... it is nice to have such imagination and different take on things."

Hiei watched her sit on the bed and motion for him to join her. He obliged her, curious about the woman that was his sister. She seemed wise for her age, which he knew was only eight years more than himself. She smiled lightly and pulled her shawl closer. "You know... for years I planned what I would say to you... but now... I am at a loss for words..."

Hiei smirked. He knew the feeling. He shook his head. "Funny how you can plan something in advance, yet it falls apart faster than you can put it back together."

"You are quite smart, Hiei. That is nice to know..." Shura stopped. "I mean the way you talk... I wasn't expecting this. Honestly... I didn't expect half of this."

Hiei smirked and watched her fidget in place. "You weren't exactly the way I had pictured either. I was expecting someone harder than hell and meaner than a rabid squirrel."

Shura chuckled lightly. "Stay tuned and you probably will see how right you are. Martina calls me that sometimes, the rabid squirrel of the eastern valley."

"As long as you don't foam at the mouth," Hiei said and smiled to hear her laugh. "Your files don't do you any justice. They only tell you the bad part of your life, not the good."

Shura stopped and looked at him. He had her files? "How did you get ahold of my files? Wait don't answer that... I know how you got them."

"Koenma was only trying to help," Hiei said to her. "I wasn't able to find any of you. I mean I met Gretchen about seven years ago. But she hid who she was..."

Gretchen? Shura frowned and looked down. "I hope you know that she was not being mean to you on purpose. At the time, she really didn't know where we were."

"I had read her mind, and I could see that she knew of who I spoke of, but the truth in her words were enough for me at the time. I had different leads to follow, she was just a little sidetrack to where the two of you had been," Hiei said. "But I had no choice but to end my search."

Shura smiled lightly. "Yeah, just when I was SO close to actually finding you."

Hiei smirked and looked down. "Yeah... well, Koenma had no choice but to do what he did."

Shura frowned, she had found the wave of dead people in the wake of her brother's energy. "What made you kill them?"

Hiei flinched. "I didn't mean to... It... it just happened."

Shura sighed lightly and took a deep breath before reaching out and pulling him into a hug. Hiei wrapped his arms around her and buried his face into her shoulder. She held him close. "I am so sorry that I wasn't there for you. I wanted to be, Hiei, I really did."

Her words struck a cord within Hiei. "I somehow knew that you did, I don't know how I knew, but I just did."

She released him and smiled lightly at him. "But you turned out okay. I am glad that you have found Kurama."

Hiei smiled back at her lightly. "He was the one who found me. If he hadn't found me when he did, I don't know where I would be."

Shura looked at him. "How long have you two known each other?"

Hiei knew that she wasn't going to like this answer but told her anyways. "February 12th it will be exactly a year."

Shura frowned. "And you mated him... but... how..."

Hiei smirked. She had taken that better than he had expected. "Well... he rescued me. That is the only way I can explain it. Like I said, if he hadn't found me, I don't know where I would be right now. In the human world... I was doing things that could have easily gotten me killed. Kurama found me and pulled me out of it."

Shura looked down. Again she was at a loss for words. She hadn't thought about it like that. She hadn't thought about what Hiei could have been doing. But then again, being in the human world explained why she wasn't able to track him anymore. So she continued. "How did you come to be back in the demon world?"

Hiei frowned lightly. "Kurama was bound to the human world because of his human mother. Koenma had told him that he had to stay there until she was gone. Little less than a month ago, there was a horrific earthquake. Shiori, Kurama and I had been driving to a family reunion when the earthquake struck. The car lost control and fell into a massive sinkhole, Shiori died instantly, and Kurama's body and mine were transferred back to the demon world."

Shura frowned, instantly regretting having asked. "You had grown fond of her, I can tell."

"She accepted the fact that I loved her son," Hiei told her. "She was pushing us to adopt and start a family of our own. She knew that she wouldn't get a grandchild out of either of us, but she was willing to accept an adopted child as her grandchild. She had even given us several websites that we could start looking through."

Shura smiled lightly. "You don't know much about fox demons, do you?"

Hiei frowned and looked at her. "What are you talking about?"

Shura knew that she shouldn't have said anything, but Hiei had sounded hopeful about a family with the fox and so she had no choice but to respond. "Every fox demon has the ability to create a seed in which a child can be formed. I had discovered this a while back and the thought had impressed me. For male couples, or female couples, the two simply give a part of themselves to the seed and within a few months, a child is revealed when the seed blooms."

Hiei listened intently. Why had Kurama never mentioned this to him before? Shura seemed to know more about the fox demons than Kurama was letting him in on. The thought was impressive though, creating a child from a seed... Hmm.. he stored the information away for a rainy day and shook his head lightly. "When were you this close to a fox demon? It would take inside knowledge to know something like this."

Shura smiled lightly. "When I escaped from prison, the fox demons had granted me asylum. I had told them why I had killed the men that I had killed and accepted me until the heat died down a little. I learned alot about them while I was there."

Hiei frowned. She had gone to prison for him... she had killed for him and she hadn't even met him yet. "Can I ask you something? How did you come to learn about Coriarkkin?"

Shura looked down. "When looking for you, I got a tip that he might know where you were. Once I had tracked him down and asked him about you... he told me that the last time that he had seen you, you were a bleeding mess and that he had left you to die."

Hiei flinched. "He told you..."

"With my ability to read minds, I had to delve into his mind to find out exactly what he meant..." Shura said. "When I told him that he was a disgusting pig for raping a young boy, he went into detail about what he had done. He said that you were enjoying it and that you had asked him for it. After his explanation... I couldn't help myself... I just snapped."

Hiei smiled lightly. "You took revenge for me."

Shura smiled lightly. "I am glad that you see it that way, but in truth... I would have killed him for a lot less."

"I don't blame you," Hiei said lightly. "I knew that one day I would return to him and take out my own revenge, but I didn't get a chance... but I do have to thank you for it."

Shura shook her head and waved him off. "Whether you believe it or not, I have been looking out for you for as long as I have known that you were alive. When the story of an Ice maiden having a male fire demon, father knew it was you. He told me that I was a big sister and a few years later, I begged him to let me go look for you. The first few years, we went together, but after a while, papa let me look by myself. He seen that I wanted to find you just as much as he did, and figured that I would be able to track you down better on my own. For eight years of my life, I had been the only child. I hated it, I wanted siblings. I couldn't wait for my cousins to visit so that I would have someone around my own age to play with. But when I did learn that I had a little brother... something inside me drove me to find you."

"And you did," Hiei said. "After Koenma gave you a hint."

Shura chuckled heavily. "I thought you were dead, Hiei. What was I supposed to do? I couldn't exactly go to the underworld to look for you. So I had no choice but to sit around and mope about."

Hiei smirked and looked at the light in his sister's eyes. "Why didn't father come with you?"

Shura looked down. "I... well, he isn't feeling too well. He was attacked by a smoke demon a few months ago and he has been fighting to keep himself alive. He wanted to come, his note said as much. He doesn't know how much longer he has, but I am sure that he would love to meet you. At least once, before he does pass away."

Hiei blanched. His father was going to die? How was that possible? "The wounds are so bad that he won't be able to recover?"

Shura looked down. "Smoke demons are very toxic to our kind. They have the ability to snuff out our lights in a way that will kill us from the inside out. There is no cure once a smoke demon has grabbed the light. Papa is strong, but the smoke demon grabbed his light in a way that he would suffer."

Light? He didn't understand, he shook his head at the whole situation and frowned. "Why would a smoke demon snuff out his light in a way that would make him suffer so much?"

Shura looked down. "Because papa had taken his twin brother away from him. When we relocated to the village he learned that smoke demons were terrorizing the village, and had no choice but to step in. The battle was short, for the smoke demon was caught off guard, and papa killed him. The other demons fled when they learned of a fire demon killing one of their own. It was almost unheard of, considering how toxic a single touch could be for our own kind. But the twin came to seek revenge and got it in a way that would make the fire demon wish that he had never come to the village. But papa is a very stubborn man. He killed the twin but knew that his fate was sealed."

Hiei looked down. This is why Shura wanted to find him so badly. So badly that she would kill for him. She didn't want to be alone once their father died. Hiei reached out and pulled her into a hug. He wouldn't let that happen. Not now that he had finally been united with her. Shura could feel Hiei's emotions and hugged him tighter. She could feel that he didn't want to let go. He wanted to stay like this forever and never let her go. She smiled at the thought, for she knew that he wouldn't let go. Nor would she, not now. Not now that she was finally able to hold her adorable little brother in her arms. She looked out the window and watched the snow fall lightly outside. She still hated winter but the warmth inside her heart was one that would warm her forever.

))_))_

End of chapter Three. Hope this gave you a little insight to the future of this story. Family is the key here. Shura is just getting started. I hope that you will keep reading to find out. Hope you are enjoying so far. Stay tuned for more to come. Please give me your comment, reviews and requests. I look forward to hearing all that you all have to say.


	4. Chapter 4: Insights

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from the Yu Yu Hakusho series. I do own the characters that portray Hiei's family. And the story line is mine. I don't like to have any of my story lines mingle with sadness so this chapter will briefly go through a hard time, but then it will get better I promise. So without further delay, here is chapter four: Insights.**_

))_))_

Six days after Shura and the others had made it to the Makai, Shura and Hiei suddenly felt odd. They didn't know why they felt like this, until a message came to Shura by one of her aunts. Their father was trying to hold on, but the smoke demon's power was too strong, and he didn't make it. Shura was devastated. She and Hiei had planned to go visit him in the next few days. They would be able to make it there in just a few days but now... that plan fell flat. In the message were the last words that their father had written and they were heartwarming for the brother and sister that was just recently reunited.

"I wish that the two of you will not mourn my passing," Shura read aloud while Hiei sat on the couch beside her. "But take this time to reflect on all that I have given you. I wish that I could have met my son, but time is an odd thing. It seems that this reunion was the one thing that could possibly bring peace to a lifetime of grief and sorrow. Shura, Hiei I hope that you two will stick together, now that you have found each other. Know that I love you both and that you will always be family. The meaning of family is different for our kind, Hiei. It is a bond most sacred to us, one that no one should ever be denied. I am truly happy that you were able to find your peace in life, my son, and hope that Shura can give you even more of that peace. It pains me to think of what could have been, but I know that in my heart, you have become a man that I am most proud of. Again, do not mourn my passing, but know that I loved you both with all my heart. Love your father, Cornelius."

Hiei looked down. Shura sat the scroll on the table in front of them. Miguel and Markus looked at them and frowned. "He knew, didn't he? He knew that once you found Hiei that he would die."

Shura shrugged her shoulders lightly. "Who knows..."

Martina sniffled lightly from the opposite side of the couch. She had grown fond of her uncle and there were times that she would never forget. "He wanted you to come alone because he knew that he wouldn't make the trip."

Shura felt numb... sometimes her family didn't know when to shut their mouths and just let things sink in. Kurama felt this and told the other three to go outside for a minute. He placed a hand on both their shoulders, said that he was sorry for their loss, and walked out to join the other three. Martina sat on the back porch steps and was watching the snow fall around them. Cornelius loved the snow... it was odd to her, but she could suddenly see it's beauty... but she would never understand his true love for the snow. Kurama told her that it was probably because of Hiei's mother... that she was an ice maiden from the floating island where it always snowed there. She had known that, but had stated that wasn't the reason. But she thought for a moment, perhaps that IS the reason, and that he was protecting the one and only woman that he had ever loved. He had stated that much, but Hiei's mother had refused to leave her people for him, and vowed that she would always love him, even though they couldn't be together.

Inside the house, Shura trembled lightly at the thought of her father's passing. She had prepared for this day for months and had thought that she would be ready... but now... she just felt cold and numb all throughout her body. Hiei felt the shift in her body temperature and pulled her into a hug. It was a light hug, but Shura wrapped her arms around him and buried her head into his shoulder. She was mumbling lightly that she was prepared for this, but that it didn't feel at all like she was prepared for.

"It doesn't matter how long you prepare for the death of a loved one," Hiei said lightly. "It is never as easy as you think it will be. It is still a tragedy and there is nothing that can make that pain go away."

Shura looked up at him and seen that he was feeling the same way... only he had just a few days to prepare for the inevitable loss. Hiei pulled her back into a hug and told her how Kurama had almost fifteen years to prepare for his mother's passing and that when the day came, it almost destroyed him. Shura frowned and shook her head. This was the second loss for her little brother within a month... how was he still able to function without breaking down like she was.

"I know that it is hard, but there are good things in life that we all have to look forward to," Hiei told her and pulled her back a bit. "Everyone goes through hard times in life, but we can't sit back and mourn each and every single moment of them. We can mourn the sad moments in a more productive way, one that is better for all the parties involved."

"You seem to have figured this out long ago, little brother," she stated and figured that she was more right than she was thinking, for Hiei had lost his mother as well, at a very young age. "But how can we mourn him in a productive way?"

"By building up the relationship that he wanted us to have," Hiei stated. He had read into their father's words more than Shura had and realized that he wanted Shura and Hiei to meet so that they could rebuild together.

Shura smiled lightly. "Your insight into the meaning of father's words is surprising, Hiei. I would have had to read this several times to understand that."

"Brains before age, sister," Hiei said sarcastically. "Don't worry, things will get easier for us. I know they will."

And Hiei was right, for the next few days flew by. Shura and Hiei had spent more time together and they seemed to relate tales of their past that made each of them laugh. Kurama watched them one afternoon sitting in the sun room and smiled to hear his mate laugh so easily. Martina had told everyone that she and Markus and Miguel were needed back home and that they would keep in touch to see how the two were holding up. Martina had a cell phone and she gave the number to Kurama telling him that if there was anything that he needed her to do for her cousins, to give her a call, without hesitation. Kurama smiled at the thought, that she was trying to be so supportive in her own grief.

The next morning, Kurama woke to find Hiei snuggled deeply in his arms. This was a first in a while, for Hiei and Shura were both early risers and they were never in bed after the sun was up. He smiled lightly and kissed the top of the forehead that was resting against his shoulder. Hiei stirred and opened his eyes to stare up at Kurama. There was something in his eyes that made Kurama stop. What was that? He couldn't tell but he knew that Hiei was going to ask something. It was the same look that he had seen when Hiei had first told him that he loved him, and that he wanted the fox for his mate. The thought puzzled Kurama, what could Hiei ask for that he had not already given?

"Good morning, Hiei," Kurama said lightly to the ruby eyes that staring up at him. "How did you sleep?"

"I slept fine," he replied and stretched out beside the redhead. "I want to ask you something..."

Kurama watched as Hiei sat up and leaned against the pillows against the headboard. Kurama scooted up until he was sitting against the pillows and looked over at Hiei. "What is it?"

Hiei looked down at his hands and thought about how to word his question... "Is it true that there is a seed in which a same sex couple can create a child of their own?"

Kurama blinked... that was inside knowledge of the fox demons... how had he learned of this? "Well... I..." he stopped, he had promised his mate that there would be no more secrets. "Yes, there is... but not all foxes can get their hands on them, why?"

"Shura told me about them, when I was telling her about how Shiori was pushing us to adopt," Hiei said lightly, treading lightly around the late Mrs. Minamino. "She had said that she had been taken in by a small group of fox demons after escaping from prison, and that she had learned many things about your kind while she was there. I was just wanting to know if that part was true."

Kurama smiled lightly. "It is, but like I said, the seeds are very hard to come by. Not all foxes can get them without giving the seed a reason to be there. It is one of the most valuable and rarest seeds of our kind. They aren't seeds that one can buy or trade, the fox must present a reason for the seed to come. And asking for a baby isn't going to convince it either."

Hiei frowned, Shura hadn't mentioned that. But then again, this wasn't something that a fox demon would divulge to a stranger anyways. But then a thought came to mind. "Would you ever consider what Shiori was suggesting?"

Again, Kurama blinked. "Well..." he stopped again, where was this coming from. Had his sister pushed him to expand his family suddenly? "I don't know, Hiei... where is this coming from?" he had to ask.

"I want to know, that's all," Hiei could feel the fox's unease with the conversation, and decided to drop the conversation. He knew that there were certain areas that were off limits and this must be one of them. They never talked about a family and they never talked about Kurama's past. Although, Hiei could guess why, he still wanted to hear it from Kurama and was biding his time to allow the fox to open up on his own.

Kurama seen his disappointment from the look on his face, unknown to the fire demon beside him, and smiled lightly. He knew that Hiei wanted insight into the possible future for them and figured he could let him in on the reason such a subject was touchy to him. "Hiei, when I was young, I watched how hard it was for my mother, my demon mother, to be in love with someone. That is why I had avoided it for so long. I never knew my father either, because when I was born, he left. He had told my mother that he hadn't wanted a child and that he wasn't going to tie himself down to a child that he didn't want in the first place. She raised me and my siblings by herself. And this was hard for her, because she needed more than just the children that he had fathered. She needed him."

Hiei looked at Kurama and watched as the emotions played with his delicate features. Kurama continued. "She had raised us to be loving people, but some of us kind of missed the message, and that we should wait for love until it was a second nature to us. But with you it was different. I loved you the minute you agreed to my twisted scheme. I didn't want you as a companion, Hiei. You know what I wanted you for. I just wanted to have you in my bed, but when you pushed me to sign into the agreement, I knew that there was something more to you. After time, I knew that I was in trouble because there were nights that I longed to go to your apartment and crawl into your bed just to hold you. I had fallen so hard for you that it really did scare me. I had never felt like that towards anyone and when you asked me to be your mate... I knew that it was what I had wanted."

Hiei smiled lightly. To think that the cold fox wanted to crawl into his bed after sending him away. Ha that thought seemed to be priceless to the fire demon but he hid the fact of his inner joy and waited for the fox to continue. "When Shiori pushed us to adopt, I thought about it, only for her. I did want to give her at least one grandchild before she died... but adoption was a bigger step than I was willing to take. It is hard for a fox to take another person's child and call it their own. Foxes want a child that IS their own, one that they can relate to, one that will have the bloodline that was handed down to them. I can't help it, Hiei. I do want a family but you have to realize... we have only been mated a little over a month and the thought of expanding our family so soon, it can ruin us. That is what my mother had always taught us. That if a child is placed into the picture too early... things can go terribly wrong and that isn't something that I want to happen to us. I love you Hiei and I do want a family with you... Just not... yet."

Hiei blinked. He hadn't expected all that. Maybe he was wrong to have brought up the subject, but Kurama shook his head. "No, Hiei. You can't think like that. I am glad that you are thinking about our future and that a family is something that you will be willing to consider, but you must understand that I want to enjoy YOU before we have no time to ourselves anymore. Not with a screaming mimi in the other room."

Hiei chuckled lightly to the reference. Shura had called her step brothers screaming mimis before and he smiled at the thought of it. Kurama pulled him into a light hug and sighed lightly. "I love you, Hiei. More than life itself, and I want to build our future together... but I also want to live in the here and now. To enjoy our time together. And to get to know your sister a little better."

Hiei smiled and agreed to that fact. They had a week with her and she was still the biggest mystery to them. They didn't know ANYTHING about her personal life, only that she had spent many years tracking down her little brother. So the two agreed that they would put the family expansion on hold for now and work together to get more information out of the mystery that was Shura. The two got up and dressed for the day, they could smell food cooking in the kitchen and smiled to know that Shura had started to make herself at home, FINALLY. As they walked down the hall, Hiei grabbed hold of Kurama's hand and brought it to his lips. He silently thanked him for being so welcoming to his sister and Kurama smiled lightly. He folded his fingers into the hand that held his own and they walked out into the living room. They turned to see Shura smiling to herself, her I-Pod headphones were plugged into her ears and she was bobbing to the beat. The couple smiled lightly at the sight and wondered if they should burst her bubble or just watch.

She was a good cook, just like Hiei was. She knew her way around a kitchen, and by the looks of it, had been up for a while. The kitchen was sparkling white and the only thing out of place, was the skillets in which she was cooking. She was a cleaner cook than Hiei, Kurama observed and was granted a swift nudge in the ribcage from the fire demon at his side. What? It was simply statement of fact... Hiei frowned up at him and sat at the bar that separated the kitchen and the living room. Without turning to them, Shura walked to the cabinet and pulled out two coffee cups and filled them. She turned to them and smiled as she sat the cups in front of them.

She pulled out one of the inear buds and smiled lightly as they glanced at each other. "What? Didn't think that I could hear you two come in?"

"Not really," Kurama said. "Considering that we didn't even say anything."

Shura smiled as she flipped a pancake in the pan. "Don't have to."

She pointed to her head and Kurama frowned. Shit he had forgotten how keen her hearing was. Especially since she could read minds just as well as Hiei could. "And thank you for the compliment," she said as she went about the kitchen with a soapy sponge. "I like a clean kitchen.. can't be helped."

"You are in an eerily good mood," Hiei pointed out. Kurama nodded his agreement and the two looked at her. She was smiling brightly at the boys and they had to wonder if she had snuck out to get laid the night before.

"Nope, way off," she said and turned to them. "I got a job, instead."

"Really? I didn't know that you were looking for one," Kurama said and sat at the bar next to Hiei.

"I wasn't really," Shura turned the pancakes again and then pulled two of them off. "But when I was in town yesterday the manager at a nightclub was having a hard time getting an unruly patron out, so I helped a bit. He told me that he had never seen a situation defused the way that I had defused it and that he wanted me to consider coming to work for him. I gave it some thought and who could resist going to a nightclub five nights a week? I called him this morning and he told me to come in later on tonight and that we could go over the contract."

The word contract made Kurama glance at Hiei and the little fire demon smirked lightly. Shura turned to them and glared lightly. "Not THAT type of contract... you little perverts."

Kurama chuckled and knew at that moment that Hiei had told her the real way that they had met. But then again, he didn't mind. Things don't always start out the way people think. Kurama was curious and pushed farther. "So what type of situation could you defuse, that a bouncer couldn't?"

Shura smiled and handed them each a plate that held two pancakes, scrambled egg, and bacon. "One kid was trying to get in the nightclub with a fake ID. The bouncer was trying to determine if it was real because it was saying that the kid was in his early thirties. I asked to see it and then looked at the kid asking what year he was born. He rattled off some date and I told the bouncer that it was fake, because the nimrod didn't take the time to actually remember the birthday that was printed. So the kid went home, and I got a job."

Hiei smirked and looked at her. "You knew before even looking at the ID didn't you?"

Shura smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe... but this kid was clearly using a fake card. I pointed out to the bouncer how to spot a fake ID and he was shocked to know that he had actually let a few kids through. The manager stopped me down the block and asked me to come in for a minute and asked how I knew the difference between a real and fake ID. I told him that I had used one when I was younger and that I had paid my dues because I was caught. He didn't care about the fact that I had a criminal record... he wanted to keep the kids out of his club. So he told me to consider things and so I start tonight."

"Good for you," Hiei said and looked down at his plate. "Are you trying to fatten us up here?"

Shura chuckled lightly. "No! Of course not, just shut up and eat it."

Kurama chuckled at her and the three of them ate in silence. They were glad that Shura was looking to her own future at the time being. That meant that she would stay out of theirs for the time being and let them enjoy life. Shura smirked and looked at him. "Not on your life, fox."

Hiei smirked and glanced at Kurama, he had heard what he was thinking, and knew that he was pushing it with Shura. "Nice try."

Kurama shrugged his shoulders. "It was worth a shot."

The three laughed at the situation, and Shura knew that they were right. She did need to focus on her own life for a little bit, and knew that this new job was a step in the right direction. Hiei smiled and took their plates when the three of them had finished eating. He walked into the kitchen and washed up, cleaning the kitchen along the way and Shura walked out of the house for a breath of fresh air. Life seemed to be looking up for her. She had almost never felt so good about anything, except her family, and knew that things were going to change, whether she liked it or not. She decided it was best to embrace the change that was around the corner, even though she had no clue what was in store for them.

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End of Chapter Four. I hoped you enjoyed. I know the sad parts are sappy and things don't happen like this, but hey, I hate sad sappy parts so, I tend to breeze through them. So sue me. Anyways, things are starting to brew in the house, and I ain't gonna stop till all hell breaks loose. So until next time... send your comments, reviews, and requests. Look forward to them all.


	5. Chapter 5: New Beginnings

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from the Yu Yu Hakusho series. I own the characters that portray Hiei's family and that is it. Oh, and the storyline of course, but that is it. I hope that you are enjoying the story so far, and hope that you will be patient with me. It is hard to keep writing long stories, I tend to repeat myself a bit, but hey... I am only human. So without further delay... I give you chapter Five: New Beginnings.**_

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Shura smiled lightly to the manager of the nightclub and shook his hand after reading and signing the contract. She was given a badge that granted her access to the private areas that only employees could go. She was told to come in street clothes and that her work was basically to go undercover. She was to mingle with the customers and see if there was anyone under the age of twenty one there. She had told him about her ability to read minds and that is why he had her undercover. She smiled at the thought, her ability that seemed to tick people off was finally being put to good use. The manager told her to dress as if she was there to have a good time as well, and that she was to hide her key cards at all times. That was no problem, for she was able to put them in her tall knee high boots and hide them from everyone. She was put to work instantly after being given a wire, a communication must for all the bouncers. Her long hair was easily used to hide the wires that went up her shirt to her ear. She smiled as she stepped out onto the floor. She had been warned that there were several possible kids in there at the moment and that she was to keep her eyes and ears open at all times. She assured the manager that she ALWAYS had her eyes and ears open. Whether it was at a job, or at home.

The music was thumping as the DJ started a new track. She walked around slightly and headed to the bar. She knew that alcohol would burn off in her system and told the bartenders to give her a Martini. The manager had told her that she would need to carry it around, just to keep her cover, and that she didn't have to drink it if she believed that it would impair her senses. She rolled her eyes at the thought. Please, she would burn off the affects of the alcohol before it hit her stomach. She turned around once she got her drink and stared out into the crowd. Okay this was going to be harder to distinguish than she had thought. The thoughts were coming out in a blur to her. She couldn't trace a single one of them. She shrugged her shoulders and knew that she would have to go old school and actually mingle with those she suspected were juveniles.

By the end of the night, Shura had escorted out three young patrons and warned that if they returned, she was calling the cops. The manager and the bouncers were impressed, they hadn't thought that she would be able to do it. The manager pulled her to the side and thanked her again. "I know that you had to pay for your drinks. Tell me at the end of each of your shifts, and I will gladly reimburse you."

She smiled and told him that it wasn't necessary, considering that she did in fact drink them. The manager was actually shocked. She didn't even seem buzzed to him. She smiled lightly and told him that she was a fire demon and that alcohol had practically no effect on her. She liked the taste of it, but had never actually been drunk before. The manager was growing more and more attached to her. He really seemed to like her. The handsome bouncer stopped her before she could leave.

"Hey... how is it that you can tell the youngsters apart from the actual adults?" he asked her.

She smiled lightly. "I wait until they talk to me and read their minds a little bit. If they are younger than they appear to be, then I send them out. If I need a little more convincing, I simply tell them that I am looking for someone that is at least twenty five, after I sneak a peek at their ID."

The bouncer smiled. "You are very resourceful. My name is Liam."

Shura smiled lightly and shook his hand. "Shura. It is nice to meet you, Liam."

Liam took a deep breath and swallowed hard. "Um... Look I know it's late and all but I know of this little cafe down the street that is open late... wanna grab a bite to eat?"

Shura smiled lightly and shrugged her shoulders. "I really wish I could, Liam... But I have been up since dawn and I am exhausted... I would love to later on, though... I mean maybe one of these nights before we start our shifts."

Liam nodded. "Ah, I see... first day work jitters. Ha... we all know how that feels. No problem... I would like to take you up on your offer. Maybe, say tomorrow night, round five?"

Shura smiled lightly. "Agreed. And you are talking about the Twenty Four Seven Cafe right?"

Liam nodded with a bright smile. "Yes, I take it you have been there before."

Shura shrugged her shoulders. "Not really... Just looking down the street, the only cafe that has their lights on is them soo... kinda gives it away."

Liam chuckled lightly and turned to his car. "Well, I will see you tomorrow, Shura. And congrats, on the new job. Boss has been looking for another way to get rid of the kids before he got shut down... I am just glad that it was you, and not someone else."

Shura smiled and waved him off as she turned and started to walk down the street. She had been told that the staff could be extremely flirtatious, but Liam was genuinely cute. She thought about possible relationship status with him and figured that she would talk to Kurama and Hiei about it. They both worked together, and Koenma allowed them to, but then, the thought of a relationship so soon was scary to her. She frowned as she stepped through the front gate to her brother's house. She looked up the drive and seen that there were several lights still on. She frowned again, she hoped that they hadn't waited up for her. As she used the key that Kurama had given her, she opened the door and walked into the house. She frowned when she seen Hiei pacing in the living room with the phone held up to his ear. Kurama was sitting on the couch frowning down at several files that were settled around them both.

When Kurama heard the door open, he looked up and smiled lightly. "Hey there. How was your first day?"

Shura frowned lightly as she hung her jacket on the coat rack beside the door. "A bit better than your day seemed to have gone."

Kurama smiled lightly and looked at her. "This is normal. We just went back to work a few days ago and so... it is kinda like trying to catch up on our paperwork."

Hiei looked at her and put up a finger to tell her that he would be off in a minute. "Alright, just have the papers on my desk by morning, or start refreshing your resume to find another job!"

He snapped his phone closed and sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. He sat down on the couch, not caring that he sat on several of the files there. Kurama frowned at that and pulled the two that were visible from underneath him. Hiei muttered something about the incapable woman...

"How on earth did you put up with her?" Hiei asked his partner and shook his head. "She is a menace!"

Kurama chuckled lightly and closed the file on his lap. "She was a bit more focused in the human world. What can I say... the thought of being fired by me and sent back to Koenma's hectic work environment didn't sit well with her."

Shura smiled and knew that they were talking about Botan. She had met the woman and knew that she was a handful, for she was ditsy and more of a blond than an actual blond. She turned into the living room and stepped down into the room, she was surprised that she actually remembered it this time. She sat on the back of a chair that was piled with several files. She knew that working with paperwork required a bit of a mess and didn't want to disrupt the system that the two had going on here.

"So... again, I ask... how was your first day?" Kurama asked setting the file that he had to the side and picking up another one next to him.

"Well... great... considering," Shura said vaguely. "Escorted a few minors out of the club, had a few cocktails, and got myself a dinner before tomorrow nights shift."

Kurama looked at Hiei who had stopped at the sound of a date. "A date? So soon after starting?"

Shura frowned. "More of trying to get to know someone that you are working with. Not an actual date."

"Dinner before work is considered a date, Shura," Hiei said, suddenly sounding like the older of the two. "Who is he?"

Shura shrugged lightly. "Just the bouncer that had accidentally let in one of the minors that I walked out. What is the big deal. He was just trying to be polite, Hiei... and wow... I don't like how this conversation turned out..."

Kurama chuckled and looked at her. "Just barely realizing the role that you are playing?"

Shura growled lightly at them. "Shut up! Both of you... such jerks."

Hiei smirked as she actually stomped her foot and turned to walk away. "Shura... come on... we were only teasing!"

"Like hell you were," she replied as she started to head up the stairs to the room that they had given her.

Hiei shook his head and looked at Kurama. "Was it something that we said?"

Kurama shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know... I don't think I have ever seen her so defensive about something..."

Hiei shrugged his shoulders and looked at the papers that were spread out beneath them. This was exhausting. Kurama was going to owe him for this later. Kurama smiled at that, for Hiei wasn't doing too much to hide his thoughts from the fox. He smiled again as he watched Hiei lift his butt and pull the file that was under him out to look through it. "Is this the one that you were looking for?"

Kurama looked at it and smiled lightly. "Yes! Finally!" He took the file from his partner and opened it up. There were several pages on the table in front of him that needed to go into the file. He reached over and put them into the file that they belonged to. "Now... Three down, six to go."

Hiei groaned and stood up. He needed a break, they had been at this for hours. He looked up the stairs and then back to Kurama. "I'm gonna go see how she is doing..."

Kurama looked at him and smiled lightly. "Go ahead... I can keep going for a few while you are gone."

Hiei nodded and walked up the stairs. He knocked gently on Shura's door, but there was no answer. He frowned and slowly opened the door, only to find that she had laid on the bed, and completely blacked out. He chuckled lightly, for she hadn't even changed before her head hit the pillows. She was on her stomach, and the blankets were only slightly pulled back. Oh, well, he figured that he was gonna have to do what Kurama always did for him when he passed out like that. He walked in and gently pulled the covers up from under her and once they were free, laid them over her. She shifted and turned to her side, Hiei stopped and winced lightly, trying not to disturb her.

Once she was snoozing lightly, he walked out of the room and smiled lightly on the other side of the door. He remembered what those days were like, so tired from work that you couldn't even get out of your clothes before you crashed... but then again, most days he was already out of his clothes... Hiei shook his head. Those days are gone. The only man able to get him out of his clothes was downstairs, and he was too busy at the moment to even think about the things that were running through Hiei's mind.

"I wouldn't say that, Hiei." Kurama said softly and wrapped his arms around the little demon in front of him.

Kurama was the only one that he knew could sneak up on him, but then again, the fox's energy was all throughout the house and therefore undetectable when Kurama made a move within. Kurama kissed Hiei's neck and Hiei sighed lightly. The thoughts just seemed to melt away, all of them. Kurama always had had that effect on him, one kiss and all that mattered was them. With a few steps forward and a swift but gentle kick of the door, Kurama had maneuvered them into the bedroom and had closed the door behind them. Before long, both demons were rid of their clothes and laying on the bed.

"I have something for you, Hiei." Kurama said gently and kissed the fire demon's nose.

Hiei blinked up at him, and he was just bringing this up now? When things were just getting good? Hiei smiled lightly and looked at Kurama's closed hand beside him. "And what do you have?"

Kurama sat up slightly, still laying on top of him, but enough that he had one arm able to move about them. "I found this, today, mixed in with my seeds. And the funniest things is this, I didn't ask for it, and I don't know how it came to me."

Kurama opened his hand and revealed a solid white seed. Hiei frowned at Kurama's open hand and looked at the fox. "I told you that I am not comfortable with your kinky vines playing with me!"

Kurama chuckled lightly and dropped his forehead onto Hiei's chest. "No... Hiei... this is something else. Something that you had asked me about recently. SOMETHING that I told you was RARE to come by because they weren't for sale or trade..."

Hiei blinked... impossible. Wait... that conversation had only taken place that morning... how was it possible? "You're joking, right?"

Kurama smiled lightly and shook his head. "I am not. This is the seed that we were talking about this morning. The one that could give us the family that we always wanted. But like I said, I don't know where it came from... I was looking for my energy seeds and found this instead."

Hiei blinked up at him and sat up beside the fox. "How long will it last?"

Kurama shrugged, "They normally only come to a couple when both parties give it the reason that it seeks, and when both parties are ready for the change to happen. I have only heard that they come and some months later a baby is born... but I couldn't tell you any more than that. I just don't know..."

Hiei swallowed lightly. Were they truly ready for this? Were they ready for a family? Shiori had thought so, maybe that was a sign to them that they were. But then again, the thought of becoming a parent was scary. But then again, Kurama had told him this morning that HE wasn't ready...

"Wait a minute..." Hiei stopped him before he could say anything. "This morning you said that you wanted to wait. Wanted to enjoy us, for the time being! What the hell changed?"

Kurama's eyes glistened lightly. "Today was father's day, in the Demon World, Hiei. I don't know... seeing how happy everyone was with their kids... Something felt missing to me. I simply thought that we could try to convince the seed to come to us... but that was it. I want what I saw today. I want the happiness of a family. And I am hoping that you do too."

Hiei smiled lightly. "I wouldn't have brought it up this morning, if I didn't want that. I told you this morning, Kurama. I do want a family with you. But I would wait until you were ready."

Kurama leaned up and kissed him lightly. "Then what are we waiting for? The only thing that it requires is a part of both of us. As with any contraception, the seed represents the egg, and you can guess what it requires from us."

Kurama smiled as Hiei thought about this for a moment. He had gone to sex education classes when he went to school, he should know the answer. But then it dawned on Hiei. He frowned at the fox and looked at him. "You are saying that we have..."

"No... Hiei we don't have to fuck it!" Kurama had heard his realization and couldn't help but laugh. He chuckled into the bedspread beneath him and Hiei frowned down at him. "Hiei... It... I simply meant..."

"You know you are really killing the mood, fox," Hiei said bluntly as he looked at the fox who was almost rolling with laughter. "And that isn't what I was going to say at all!"

"It was a part of what you were thinking, though," Kurama chuckled lightly. "But yes, it is the sperm that the seed needs to create the baby."

"How will we know that it worked?" Hiei asked.

"The seed is a guarantee. There will be a baby produced, no matter what," Kurama answered looking up at him. "And in rare cases, two babies came from the pod at the time came."

Hiei smiled and wondered how lucky were the parents that had that lucky seed. Kurama chuckled lightly. "If that doesn't happen for us, Hiei, there is the possibility of another seed deciding to come to us."

The thought made Hiei smile, a possibility of more than one seed? What were the odds. He looked down at the fox and smiled lightly at him. They both were ready, and yet the two were just sitting there staring at each other. Kurama sat the seed on the dresser beside them, telling the little demon that it didn't need to be in his hand at all for it to work. There were cases that the couple didn't even know they had the seed until the pod started to grow. They leaned into each other and kissed lightly. Kurama explained, the seed didn't need to be there, that it would take what it needed when it was given. And Hiei thought about the ability of a seed to take something from them...

"Stop over-thinking it, Hiei," Kurama said. "Think about me, think about us. That is all that is truly needed right now. I want you."

Hiei kissed the fox on the cheek and led his kisses to the fox's throat. They made love that night, three times and there was something that was special about this to them both. They were both male and yet they were going to have a baby in six to seven months, depending on the pod, and they couldn't be happier.

The seed, however, had other plans for the two lovers. There was only one thing that the demons didn't know, and no one else knew this tiny little fact either... How many times love is made during the first night, is how many babies the pod created. And for our lucky pairing, there was something big in store for them. The pod constantly took their energy in the process, that is why only one or sometimes two were created... but for Kurama and Hiei who had the stamina to go a third round... well, that was their special surprise. They wouldn't know what hit them, especially when three babies from one pod was NEVER heard of before. And the seed was starting to work it's magic as the two lovers settled in for the night. Knowing that they would soon be parents of their own, they drifted off into a deep slumber, on that would refresh them in ways they wouldn't be able to explain. For the seed had another purpose, one that Kurama had left out on purpose. It would bind them together forever, tighter than the bond of a mate, and tighter than the bonds of any other kind. This bond was sacred and it COULD NOT be broken.

))_))_

SOOOO end of Chapter Five. Hope that you are getting VERY interested. There are things in my head that will blow you away in the upcoming chapters. The babies are born and one of our demons, not mentioning who, has to leave work in order to take care of the little ones. Cannot wait to hear your reviews and comments. But please be nice, I don't like haters. So look forward to later chapters. Until then...


	6. Chapter 6: Excitement

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from the Yu Yu Hakusho series. I only own the characters that are portraying Hiei's family and the storyline. That is it. Now without further delay, I give you chapter six.**_

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Over the course of the next few months, change was in the air. The weather began to warm, bringing the news of the upcoming spring. The new trees around the Makai were starting to show the world their newest sprouts that would bloom in the spring. The flora and fauna around the entire demon world was beginning to spring back to life after the long and cold winter. Kurama and Hiei knew of a bigger change right in their very own home. Shura had started to change, instead of the cold hearted woman that they had met in the cold of winter, a different side to her was starting to emerge. She would smile at anything, and nothing. She would hum to herself when she thought she was alone, and she was even more open to her brother and brother in law about the relationship that she was building with Liam. Though Kurama and Hiei were happy for her and excited about the new person that she was becoming, they were more excited about the news that they were still hiding from the world. Upstairs, the tiny little seed had started to create it's pod, and it seemed to get bigger everyday. And the size was bigger than either had expected. It was technically supposed to represent the size of the womb that a baby was born with, however, the pod actually gave the embryo inside room to move around.

One warmer night, Shura pulled into the driveway. Liam had offered to give her a ride home, but she had told him that she had borrowed Kurama's car, since he had had the night off. When she pulled up, Hiei's car was there, which was odd, considering she almost always got home before he did. Shura had stepped out of the car and locked it behind her. She walked up the gravel drive and towards the house, enjoying the sound of rocks beneath her feet instead of the cold crunch of snow. She opened the door and smiled lightly, they had left it unlocked for her again. She walked into the house and felt an odd presence. She frowned and looked around. She could hear the crackle of a fire in the living room, though Spring was just around the corner, the coldness in the air had yet to move on. She hung her light coat on the coat rack next to the door and turned to the living room.

"Hey, Shura," Kurama said cheerfully as he seen her come into the room. "We didn't hear you come in."

"Of course you didn't," she said softly and walked to the couch. She was looking around the room with an unsure look on her face. "Alright, that's it. You two have some explaining to do."

Hiei had his head resting in Kurama's lap, he frowned as he looked at her. "What are you talking about?"

Kurama shrugged his shoulder and played innocent for a moment. Shura growled lightly at them and watched the innocence drain from Kurama's face. "You have to give us something more than that, Shura, otherwise we might explain something that you might not like to hear."

Shura rolled her eyes, as if she hadn't heard it all already. "Every night I come home there is an odd... energy floating around the house... What the hell?"

Kurama smiled and looked down at Hiei. "Should we divulge the secret around that?"

Hiei sat up and smiled lightly at his sister. "Can you describe the energy that you keep feeling?"

She frowned. "No I can't, I just know that I have never felt it before and it seems to be coming from upstairs."

"Perhaps it is upstairs," Kurama said lightly.

Shura looked at the two men then frowned again. "Please don't tell me that you two have a poor defensless creature locked up in your room! That is low, even for you two!"

Kurama and Hiei couldn't help but burst into laughter. Shura crossed her arms and waited until the two of them were through laughing at a situation that she was starting to get pissed off at. "Shura, I can assure you that there is no one locked in our room..."

"Then what is it!" Shura snapped. "The feeling is uneasy to me, Hiei. Why are you keeping this from me? You know what it is like to be on the outside..."

"Relax, Shura," Hiei said and stood up. "There is nothing up there that is going to harm you or anyone else."

He walked to her side and held out a hand. She looked up at him and frowned. After a moment, she took his hand and he pulled her to her feet. She followed Hiei up the stairs and noticed that Kurama was following close behind her. Kurama smiled lightly as he could see Shura tensing in front of him. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and she jumped lightly.

"What the hell are you two up to?" she asked, suddenly unsure of her brother's actions. She had never seen Hiei like this, it wasn't mean in any way, but it was odd. "Just tell me..."

Hiei stopped and turned to her. "Do you remember when you told me about that rare seed that only fox demon's could obtain? The one that can give a same sex couple a child that is their own?"

Shura nodded lightly. "Yes, I do... but..."

"That is the energy you feel," Hiei stated. "You feel the pod, and that is what we have been up to, as you put it."

Shura blinked and stared at her little brother. When she had told him, she had never thought that he would actually go to Kurama and ask him to get one...

"He didn't ask me to just get one, Shura," Kurama said behind her. "They come when a couple is ready for them. That is it. They can't be found, they have to come to you. And one came to us."

Shura frowned... but... how... "How could you two... hide something like this?"

Hiei shrugged his shoulders. "It was no one's business but I did want to tell you sooner."

Hiei turned after admitting this and walked into their bedroom. Shura was still connected with her little brother, and followed him into the room. Next to the bed, a bright green and yellow pod rested on a bed of it's own leaves. Shura blinked. "How long has it been growing?"

Kurama smiled lightly as he sat on the bed and leaned over to stare at it. "For a few months now."

Shura was released from Hiei's grasp and she bent down to her knees in front of it. Her eyes were wide as she examined the pod, never once imagining how beautiful something so big could be. She looked up at Hiei but he was now sitting on the bed next to Kurama. They looked like little school girls leaning across the bed looking down at it. She could see their smiles over the edge of the bed and turned back to the pod. There was something about it that made her want to reach out and touch it... but she didn't. Instead she watched Kurama reach down and touch one of the vines that was sprouting out of the top.

"It won't hurt you, Shura," Kurama said lightly and showed her what it would do if she did touch it. A moment later, the little vine wrapped itself around Kurama's finger and glowed lightly.

Shura watched in amazement as she seen the entire pod pulse the same light green at the gentle touch. She felt Hiei nudge her gently from above. She looked up at him, and he smiled as he pointed to the pod. She swallowed lightly as she turned back to the pod. She slowly reached out and before she could touch it herself, a little vine from the side next to the leaves reached out and wrapped itself around her wrist. The action made Shura gasp lightly, for the vine was warm to the touch. She watched as the vine continued to wind itself around until it was about three curls into her arm. She pulled back lightly and frowned, she turned to Kurama who was chuckling lightly.

"The pod will grow for another six or so months, but then..." he smiled lightly. "You will be a new aunt."

She had never given thought to such an idea once she had found out that her little brother was mated to a male. But now... the possibility was almost unnerving. She had been around children before, but when she got annoyed with them, she was all too happy to just send them back home to their mothers. However, she couldn't bring herself to think that she would ever tire of the little one that was growing inside the pod. With that thought, the vine tightened around her wrist causing her to look down at it.

After a few more moments, the vine released her from its grasp and rewrapped itself into its leaves. She smiled lightly as she looked over the pod. "You said that it was going to continue to grow, right..."

Kurama nodded lightly, curious as to what she might say. She continued with a smile. "As big as it is now... ever thought of the possibility of it producing TWO babies?"

Hiei smirked and looked at Kurama. "Duh, you don't think that point had crossed our mind before? But Kurama said that the only thing that we can do is wait."

The way Hiei had said it made Shura chuckle lightly as she looked up at him. He didn't seem to relish the idea of having to wait. He wanted to know... and who could blame him? The thought made her smile as she stood up. "Well... now that I know what the energy is... maybe it won't freak me out every time I walk through the door."

"Well, now that you do know... don't go all over the Makai telling everyone about the news," Kurama said lightly. "We haven't decided on how we are going to tell people yet..."

"Hey, not my kid, not my place to say," she said as she put her hands up in surrender. "But I am happy for you both. Especially now... you two can move on together."

They smiled at her as she walked out of the room. They could hear her boots clicking against the hardwood floors and then heard the front door lock, then the lights get turned off. She had somehow knew that they didn't want to leave. They wanted to keep staring at it until it bloomed but they both knew that they couldn't do that. They smiled as they seen the glow of lights under their door fade one by one. Shura was locking up and shutting down the house. With one last light, they heard Shura come back up the stairs and walk into her room, just two doors down from their own.

Over the next few months, Shura had helped them with ordering all the furniture to turn one of the bedrooms into a nursery. She went into the Makai and was window shopping one day when she ran into Yusuke and Keiko. Since the earthquake, Keiko, Kuwabara, Shizuru and Yusuke had come to live in the Demon world. She had to come up with an excuse to them quickly.

"Hey, Shura," Keiko said and looked into the window at the toy store. "What'cha doing?"

"Not much," she replied. "Lazing away the day... you know I work at night."

She smiled and knew that she was talking about the fact that they had bumped into her at the club a few nights ago. But then, looking into a toy shop wasn't exactly the best way to laze away the day. "You know that there are other ways to occupy the day... Liam for instance."

Shura smiled lightly. "Yeah... but you gotta realize... I see him every night at work... so we spend the day to ourselves. It's our little way of not getting TOO close too soon."

Keiko smiled and nodded. "I can see that. But then again, there are other ways to laze away the day... why spend it staring into a toy store?"

Shura swallowed lightly. Who did she know that was expecting a baby? Who? She thought about it for a moment then she realized, they didn't know her cousins. "Well... the truth is... that my cousin Martina is expecting a little one, either gender, she doesn't want to know yet. And I was just looking around."

Keiko smiled lightly. "Your cousin? Is this the one that came with you when you came to find Hiei?"

Shura smiled and knew that she was going to have to give a heads up to Martina that if she was coming to the Makai to at least appear to be pregnant or at least say that she had lost the baby. That was mean of her. Shura shook the thought out of her head, Bad Juju, Bad Juju! She looked at the young couple and smiled lightly. "What are you two up to today?"

"Not much, just getting ready for Shizuru's birthday," Keiko said. "Kuwabara asked us to help plan a surprise party for her. And we gladly accepted."

"Isn't Shizuru the one that threw the big birthday block party for you when you turned twenty one?" Shura asked Yusuke who smiled cheekily.

"Yeah... maybe that wasn't the BEST idea in the world, but hey!" Keiko said sarcastically.

"Oh, come on... how was I suppose to know that the girl was only seventeen!" Yusuke said, for he had gotten in trouble for sleeping with a minor. Luckily he worked for Koenma, therefore he was able to get out of trouble just as easily as he had gotten into it.

Shura knew that she needed to get out of there before those two started to create a scene. She told them that she was going to get something to eat before heading back to the house and they asked if Kurama and Hiei were accepting company. She stopped dead and shrugged her shoulders. Man she hated lying to people about shit, but then again, Yusuke would feel that energy at the house and know that something was up. She shook her head and told them that Kurama was having a bad day and that he would most likely see him at work later that night.

About twenty minutes later, Shura walked into the house with enough takeout for three. Kurama had smiled at her and was curious as to why she had stopped at HIS favorite restaurant. "You hate Chinese food... Shura what did you do?"

The fox was too damned perceptive... she swallowed lightly. "I simply told a little fib to Yusuke and Keiko when I bumped into them a little bit ago."

The color drained from Hiei's face. "You told him?!"

Shura frowned at her brother. "What part of LITTLE FIB didn't you get? They asked if you two were accepting company today... I told them no that Kurama was simply having a bad day."

The color returned to both men's faces and they sighed lightly. "Why did they ask if we were accepting company?"

Shura shrugged her shoulders. "Why does Yusuke do half the shit that he does? I am not the human's keeper!"

Hiei smirked. "She's got a point.. Yusuke never does have a plan... remember... plan b is always the same as plan a."

Kurama shook his head. "And he doesn't expect me at work tonight?" Hopeful that his sister in law had gotten him out of work.

Shura smiled lightly and held out his food. "Unfortunately... he is expecting you..."

Kurama took the food and knew that this was the only reason that she had stopped at HIS favorite restaurant. Kurama sighed lightly and sulked as he ate his food, "The least you could have done was tell him that I was sick."

Shura rolled her eyes. "And what... They all come over here to see if you are okay, only to find you upstairs watching the pod?"

Kurama flinched. Damn, he was busted. Any day he called out, that is exactly what he did. Hiei snickered from his seat across from his mate. He wasn't stupid... he did it too. But Shura didn't know that. He looked at her, and realized that he wasn't as smooth as he had thought. The look on her face was one of don't pull that crap with me.

"No, Hiei," Shura said. "That look said that I know you better than you think."

The three of them were eating in silence until the pod upstairs pulsed heavily, causing all three of them to look up at the ceiling. Shura smiled. "Seems they are just as excited as you two are about the upcoming future."

"They?" Kurama and Hiei asked.

"I told you... that pod is big enough for at least two little ones in there," she said and stood up from the table after finishing her food. Though she wasn't fond of Chinese food, she knew that she had a little making up to do. She had snuck back into the toy shop and bought something. She was having it delivered in a few weeks and she couldn't wait for the two proud papas to open it.

Kurama and Hiei finished eating and headed upstairs to get ready for work. They had formed a habit of baby-talking to the pod before they left, and the thought made Shura smile. They weren't exactly hiding their excitement as well as they were hoping that they were. She was excited about things too, but she was able to hide it a little better. They could only see what she wanted them to see. She let them see the proud aunt to be, not the flaming lunatic that was SOO impatient to meet said niece or nephew.

))_))_

The End of Chapter Six. I know it was a bit shorter and I said that there would be other pairings, but hey you got a glimpse of them... that seems that is all that you are gonna get. So please send your reviews, comments, and requests, I look forward to hearing all that you have to say. Until next time.


	7. Chapter 7: Overwhelmed With Happiness

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from the Yu Yu Hakusho series. I do own the characters that portray Hiei's family and the storyline though. That's all... and now... the enchanting conclusion to this happy family tale... Chapter Seven: Overwhelmed With Happiness.**_

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Kurama sighed lightly. It was early June and the pod was still growing in size. He was starting to wonder if they had done something different. The pod normally grew to the size of a normal pregnant woman who was carrying one or two children... however the pod was almost up to his knees when he seen it that afternoon before going to work. Hiei was more worried about the situation than he was, but he seemed to be able to hide it from their coworkers a little bit better that he was. Yusuke and Kuwabara were starting to hound them with questions every night that they came in. One night, however, they seemed to push too hard. Shura was coming in at the moment that her brother snapped. She stood in the doorway of the office and smiled as she watched the smaller man pick the taller man up by the front of his shirt.

"I said to back off, Kuwabara!" Hiei let him go, causing him to hit the floor with a surprised look on his face.

Kurama shook his head, but smiled lightly to see Shura standing there, trying her hardest to hide the smile that was crossing her face. He motioned her over and she walked to the side of his desk. She held out a bag of food to him and he looked inside at the contents, a warm YES could be heard as he viewed the food inside. He reached into the bag and pulled out two boxes of Chinese food, handing one of them to Hiei as he walked past. Shura thought it funny, they didn't even have to look at each other to know when one was walking by. Hiei reached the other side of his desk and shooed Shura off the edge.

"The edge of my desk is not your throne!" he snapped and sat at his chair. "If you want to sit, then use a chair."

Kurama snickered lightly at the playful exchange between the two. They really were inseparable now. They got along no matter what and they seemed to do things almost the EXACT same way. Kuwabara looked at the trio and grumbled about not sharing. Shura looked at him and glared back at him as she took a chair next to them. She watched him as she sat down next to Kurama.

"So... how is it?" she asked lightly, knowing that the secret was still a major secret.

"Fine, just taking a bit longer than we had expected..." Kurama said sadly as he took a bite of food. "Just wish we had done a little more research on this before starting out."

Shura smiled lightly and pulled out a parchment from her bag. "Well... I did a little research of my own... and this is what I found."

She handed the parchment to Hiei who had reached out for it before Kurama could put down his Chopsticks. Kurama groaned at him and watched as Hiei unrolled the parchment. He read the words that were printed. He stopped and looked at her. "Where did you get this type of information?"

Shura looked at her fingernails and smiled lightly. "I have my means, little brother. And I am not about to reveal them all to you."

Shura watched her brother reread the document then hand them over to Kurama. He took the parchment and read the words. "Eight months? A possibility of nine? UGH!"

He laid his head on the desk and whimpered lightly. Shura chuckled lightly at the childish scene that played out. "Well... something so important takes time, ya know."

Hiei smiled, but that smile faded quickly as Yusuke approached. He grabbed the parchment from Kurama, causing Kurama to look up quickly reaching for it back. He stopped when he seen Hiei looking behind him. He turned and groaned again. He wasn't ready for round two with the younger detective. "What do you want, Yusuke?"

"I don't mean to pry..."

"Then don't!" the trio sitting at the combined desk said in unison.

Yusuke blinked looking at all three of them. Shura frowned as she knew that he was going to continue. And he did. "I don't mean to pry, but you guys are really starting to worry Keiko and Yukina. I haven't gone a single day in the last three months without them texting or calling me every few minutes asking how you are. So you guys have got to give me a little something to give to them. I don't get free minutes on my phone, you know."

Kurama lowered his head to the desk again and sighed lightly. He looked back up at the younger detective and smiled faintly. "It's nothing, Yusuke... It's just a family matter, okay. We will work it out sooner than you think."

Yusuke blinked, not expecting them to answer him in any way, nor expecting THAT type of an answer. "Is everything all right? I mean you two seem happy and all..."

"We are, Yusuke..." Kurama said, suddenly sounding more tired than before. "We are fine... we are just working through a snag here and there. Tell them that we will be expecting visitor by mid July at the earliest..."

Hiei groaned lightly. He hated entertaining guests. Yukina was fine, but... Yusuke and the rest of the rowdy bunch... the thought made him quiver. He told them that if there was anything that they needed, then all they had to do was ask. Kuwabara intercepted him before he could walk out of the main office of Koenma's workplace. Shura watched as Kuwabara tried to shake out the information from Yusuke, seemingly disappointed that he hadn't learned ANYTHING new. Kurama pinched the bridge of his nose as he reached out to pick up his abandoned food. He sighed heavily and looked up at Hiei.

"Don't look at me like that," Kurama snapped. "You know that they would be asking sooner or later. You were the one who bought the big house, remember. They all have apartments and not enough space to entertain like we do... YOU brought this on yourself when you decided to buy the surrounding four and a half acres around the house!"

Hiei looked down. Damn, he knew that decision would come back to haunt him. Kuwabara settled down at his conjoined desk with Yusuke and the night progressed slowly. Shura stuck around to see what type of mischief that she could get into around here. Her workplace was full of mischief and she needed something new. Kurama had invited her to join them when she had a night off and it became a regular habit for her. She enjoyed the extra time with her favorite fellas and they knew it. Liam and Shura were taking their own relationship slow, both having screwed up with their past relationships that went too fast. They spent time together at work, and that was mostly it. Occasionally they would go on an actual date, but that sort of thing wasn't important to Shura. She wanted to get to know him on her own terms.

She sighed lightly and looked around the room. Kuwabara was standing next to the paper shredder next to the window and heard her sigh. He turned to her and wondered if taunting her was the best idea. At the moment, it seemed like a bit of fun, considering how slow this night was going. He smirked and shook his head.

"What are you smirking about, bonehead?" Shura snapped over her shoulder.

"You," he replied and turned to her. "If you are so bored, why not go home? I am sure that your boyfriend could provide better entertainment to you."

Shura frowned and Hiei and Kurama slowly scooted their chairs to the side. "I would watch what you say about me, human. My patients run thin with your kind."

"Ooo, seems like I struck a cord," he snickered, Yusuke shaking his head at the entire encounter. "See, my kind are smarter in a way... you want to know how... cause we don't just sit around and do nothing. We try to fill our time with something that matters."

Shura growled lightly and again Kurama and Hiei scooted their chairs away a few feet further. They knew that Kuwabara was playing with a ticking time bomb. Shura stood up and crossed her arms. "I dare you to say that I do nothing that matters, I simply dare you."

Kuwabara pushed the line and stood his ground. "What are you... an UNDERCOVER with a BAR!" he snapped. "You sit around all night drinking till you clock out, and what do you do? You go home, go to sleep and wake up the next day to do it all over again."

Koenma swallowed hard, Hiei winced at the heat that started to swirl in the air, Kurama stood up and walked to the other side of the room, and Yusuke laid his head on the desk knowing the Kuwabara had gone WAY too far. Shura pounced. She pinned the human against the wall by his throat and made sure that her claws were in each side of his neck.

"I keep innocent young teens from making stupid decisions that helps make YOUR job a little easier," she snapped. "Or do you prefer being dispatched to a scene where an underage minor was drinking and driving, when he decided to speed down the street and kill a group of school kids?"

She knew that would get through to him, for the four of them had been dispatched to that VERY scene six months ago. The kid that had been driving was only sixteen, with a blood alcohol content three times the legal limit. He got behind the wheel of the car and plowed through a group of nine children, all under the age of ten. Eight of them were killed, the other one was permanently paralyzed from the waist down. They had all been through an emotional ringer about that, she had seen her brother and his mate mourn them, going to the crashsite themselves and lighting several candles in honor of the fallen.

Kuwabara swallowed hard. He shook his head, unable to form words.

"I didn't think so," she snapped and released him. "I made the choice to drink before I was legally able to, and I ended up killing someone myself! I tell each and EVERY teen that I remove from the club that I spent seven years in PRISON for that! I know that they make the choices themselves, I just try to convince them to make the SMARTER choices in life!"

Kuwabara looked up at her, holding his throat. Hiei was standing beside her and had a hand on her arm. She looked at him and then frowned as she looked back down to the human beneath her. "I only took the job because I seen what that type of decision did to ALL of you. I wanted to make sure that the four of you never EVER had a reason to feel like that again... I did it for you, you worthless waste of space!"

She turned on her heel and walked back to her chair. She sighed heavily and took several calming breaths. Kuwabara blinked and no one made a single sound. They hadn't known that. They had all figured that Shura needed something to do, someway to contribute to the town... they never expected that she was doing the job for them. Kurama smiled lightly at her as he scooted his chair back to it position. He somehow knew that there was a deeper meaning to why she had taken the job, he was just surprised that the reason was the grief that the FOUR of them had felt.

Hiei sat down at the desk and looked at Shura. She was frowning as she looked down at the floor. It wasn't because of the situation though, he could tell. Suddenly, he felt it too. He frowned and looked at Kurama who was looking around, then to him. "Did you feel that?"

Hiei nodded lightly. "What?"

Kurama shrugged his shoulders and they looked at Shura, who shrugged her shoulders as well. She had felt it too, aparently. The feeling came again, and this time, stronger than before. It was a huge pulse of energy from somewhere. Kurama and Hiei looked at each other and smiled lightly. "No way..."

Hiei shrugged his shoulders. "Couldn't be..."

Shura looked at them and smiled again. "It is!"

The three of them felt the surge of energy again and the three of them bolted out of their chairs. Koenma frowned at seeing the trio jump up so quickly. Kurama grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair and flipped it over his head, not caring that it didn't cover correctly. Hiei did the same, only his jacket was merely a hoodie, once over his head, he reached onto the desk and grabbed his keys. Shura giggled lightly as she pulled up her jacket and just folded it over her arms. The three of them tore out of the office, a sound of giggles from Shura and excited chuckles from the mates was the only thing that was heard besides their trio of footsteps rushing from the door.

Yusuke looked at Koenma. "What the hell was that about?"

Koenma shook his head at the detective. "I haven't the faintest idea..."

))_))_

Kurama and Hiei were racing down the steps, calling out to the people ahead to move. They were in front of Shura, but when they came to the stairs she sat on the pole and slid down, passing them both up. Her heels hit the floor with a loud clack and she chuckled lightly as she turned and raced towards the parking garage. Keiko and Botan were in front of them and she took the outer course, to avoid running them down. Kurama and Hiei weren't so lucky though, Keiko landing hard on her rump as the two pulled themselves up in a rush.

"What the hell, Kurama!" she shouted back to them.

"Sorry, Keiko, we gotta go," he shouted back, his voice almost squeaking with joy. "I'll explain it all later!"

Hiei shook his head and watched as Shura got into her car, moments before Kurama got into his own, Hiei stepping into his own, closing the door with a loud thud. The trio of engines started and revved, then the three cars, each bolting out of the garage, barely waiting for the gates to lift. Kurama looked in his rear-view mirror as the three of them headed away from the building, he could see the guard gesture of unhappiness at the trio. As they got closer to home, Kurama had to place his hand over his heart, as he felt that it was about to beat right out of his chest. He had never been so excited. They were obeying all the traffic laws as best as three excited people could, but they were very lucky that the three of them hadn't gotten pulled over for speeding. Once in the drive, Hiei's car was first, followed by Kurama, Shura had pulled to the side, because she knew that her car was the first to leave the next day.

The three exited their cars, each could feel the pulsing of the pod growing closer together, and more intense. The parchment that they had been given explained a few things about the birthing process of the pod. Shura gasped lightly as she felt in her purse.

"Shit!" she said as she walked up the porch steps.

Hiei had his keys in the door when he turned to look at her. "What?"

"The parchment! We left it back at the office!" she said.

The two of them glanced at each other, "Relax, I was able to read it a couple of times..."

"No!" she said as the three of them entered the house. "Yusuke and Kuwabara, Keiko, Botan, Koenma... if they see what is on that parchment, then the secret is out!"

As the energy pulsed again Kurama chuckled lightly. "After tonight, the secret will be out anyways!"

Shura sighed lightly, she hadn't thought of that... but she stopped at the bottom of the stairs. Kurama stopped half way up and turned back down to her. "Well.. come on..."

She shook her head. "I... I don't think I should be there... they are your children..."

Hiei topped the stairs and leaned on the railing looking down at her. "The pod wouldn't have called to you if it didn't want you there."

She smiled lightly. She grabbed the railing and they headed towards the pod. When they opened the door to the bedroom, a bright green glow was being emitted from the pod. Shura had to shield her eyes as she got closer. Kurama smiled lightly, sitting on his knees a few inches from the pod. Now they waited. Shura sat at the end of the bed, while Hiei took his place on the floor next to Kurama. After a few minutes of waiting, the pod's light began to glow a slight reddish color and the blinding flashes came in a strobe like fashion. All three of the demons shielded their eyes until they no longer seen the flashing. Hiei blinked and looked at the pod. It was squirming... that was odd.. he had never seen something like that. The entire pod was moving, until suddenly, two large pedals separated at the top. The two pedals curled into its core and moments later a bundled infant was there. A loud scream pierced the air and Shura flinched at the sound. Hiei reached out and gently lifted the infant into his hands. He smiled lightly as he cuddled the baby close.

Kurama looked at the baby and smiled. "A boy... what are the odds."

Hiei smirked at the reference to them both being male. Moments later, the two middle pedals of the pod began to slowly curl into the core. After a moment, the sounds of another screaming baby was heard as the pod revealed the second baby. After a moment, Kurama reached out and lifted the newborn from the pod. He held the infant close and smiled. "Two boys... again... what are the odds."

But then something else happened... the pod let the last two pedals of flower bloom. The pedals laid out flat and THIRD infant was revealed. The trio of demons stopped and looked, surprised at the third. Kurama motioned for Shura. "I think THAT is why the pod called you as well."

Shura slowly came to her knees and flinched again as a third even higher pitched scream rang out. Shura picked up the infant after the pedals wrapped themselves around the baby ans she held the last baby close. She smiled down at the little one and cooed lightly to her. The third was in Shura's favor, a beautiful baby girl. Kurama and Hiei slowly got to their feet and then turned to Shura. Instead of standing, she placed herself on the ground. She sat there looking down at the baby smiling brightly. They knew that she was going to swoon over her nephews or niece, and now she seems to have gotten both.

"How is it... Kurama, how did we get three?" Hiei asked him as the pair sat on the bed.

"I don't know," Kurama said softly. "It's never been heard of before..."

Hiei looked up at him and shrugged his shoulders. "Seems we got the one in a million seeds."

Kurama smiled lightly as the three of them cuddled the newborns softly until their cries were no more than gurgles and cooes. The three of them sat there contently as they watched the babies go from sleep to wide awake back to sleep. Kurama looked at Hiei, then motioned for him to look at Shura. She was gently rocking herself back and forth, the little girl gurgling softly in her arms. Hiei smiled and nodded to Kurama.

"Have you two been bouncing names around?" Shura suddenly asked.

Kurama nodded to her. "Actually we have. There were several that we really liked, but seeing her now, there is only one that can come to mind..."

Shura looked up at him. He smiled lightly. "Shukara."

Shura smiled up at him. "Hiei told you my mother's name..."

"No... Martina did," Kurama said and then turned to his mate. "And your family was more inspiration for the names than anything."

Shura shook her head. "What do you mean?"

"The names Jacques and Hansel mean anything to you?" Hiei asked softly.

Shura's eyes went wide. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. The names that were spoken so long ago... the men that were lost to her so long ago... "My two grandfathers... but..."

Hiei smiled lightly. "I did a little digging of my own. Your mother was a brave woman, one that I could only hope my daughter turns out to be one day... and your grandfathers, both noble and true."

Shura felt tears stinging at her eyes. Kurama smiled at her and looked down at his boys. "I hope they turn out to be just like them."

Shura sighed lightly and reached up with one hand to wipe the tears from her face. She looked at the baby in her arms, surprised to find her staring up at her with bright eyes. She studied the little one in her arms. She had curls of black hair with beautiful soft green eyes. She smiled lightly at the little one as she cooed lightly and reached up to her. Shura put her finger within reach and smiled again as the baby gripped her finger. She giggled lightly and looked up to them. "You two finally got your perfect ending."

Kurama and Hiei chuckled lightly. "No. You got your perfect beginning."

Shura smiled again. "I already had the perfect beginning. When I met you, Hiei. When you accepted me for all that I was and all that I am. That is the only thing that matters to me."

Hiei smiled while tickling the boy in his arms. "You were my sister... it's not like I could trade you in."

Shura chuckled lightly.

"Not that I ever would." Hiei looked down at his son, who looked just like Kurama. Red hair and green eyes. His son, his and Kurama's son. The family that he had always wanted was all together in one room. His sister, his mate, and his three children. At the moment, Hiei knew that there was nothing in this world that could take the happiness that was warming his heart. Kurama leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips, earning an eww from Shura below them. Kurama chuckled lightly as he looked down at his son in his arms that resembled Hiei. Black hair with a white star burst. And burning red eyes. The moment could never be perfected. At that very moment, the world was right. Everything stood still, time seemed to stand still. And the fact that they had three healthy, beautiful children was all too precious to him. He silently vowed that nothing was going to take this from them. They had both wanted this for far too long, and now... this was their time. Their moment of pure and utter happiness.

))_))_

And So THE END... or is it... Will there be a Trilogy in the midst? Maybe... I think there might be... depending on what mischief I can cook up for the two most mischievous demons and the tag-along sister that was more mischievous than they were. Until later my fans... please leave your comment and reviews. Look forward to hearing from you all.


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